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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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V 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WeST  MAIN  STRUT 

WiBSTIR.N.Y.  145M 

(716)  t7a-4903 


6^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICJVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


^ 


il 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiquet 


Th« 
toti 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibllographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


n 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I     I   Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagAe 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurAe  et/ou  peliicuMe 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  meps/ 

Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I     I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


n 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Rail*  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

Lc<  reliure  serrAe  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  aJoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mfiis.  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  AtA  f limAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilmA  le  meiiieur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  dAtails 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthode  normale  de  f ilmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
D 

a 
n 
n 
n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagAes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurAes  et  ou  peiliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pcges  dAcolorAes,  tachetAes  ou  piquAes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dAtachAes 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
QualitA  InAgaie  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  matAriel  supplAmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Adition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totaiement  ou  partieiiement 
obscurcias  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


The 
posi 

OftI 

film 


Ori| 
beg 
the 
sior 

Oth4 

firsi 

SiOfI 

or  11 


The 
shal 
TINi 
whi 

Mai 
diff( 
enti 
begi 
righ 
reqi 
met 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  iselow/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  rAduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

aox 

^ 

3 

12X 


16X 


2DX 


24X 


28X 


32X 


lilt 

du 

difi«r 
jne 
laga 


Th«  copy  filmsd  har*  has  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

University  of  British  Columbia  Library 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
poaaibia  conaldaring  tha  condition  and  laglblllty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaoping  wKh  tha 
filming  contract  spaclficationa. 


L'axamplalra  filmA  f ut  raproduit  grica  A  la 
gAnArositA  da: 

University  of  British  Columbia  Library 


Las  imagas  suivantas  ont  tit6  raproduitar  avac  la 
plus  grand  Soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattati  da  raxamplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  iliustratad  impras- 
slon.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  approprlata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  iliustratad  impras- 
slon,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  iliustratad  imprasslon. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  •-^  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  ▼  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appiias. 


Las  axamplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  imprimte  sont  filmAs  an  commanpant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'iiiustration.  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  fiimAs  an  commandant  par  la 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'iiiustration  at  •n  tarminant  par 
la  darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  taiia 
amprainta. 

Un  das  symbolas  suivants  apparaftra  sur  ia 
darnlAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  ^»>  signifis  "A  SUIVRE",  la 
symbols  V  signifis  "FIN  ". 


Maps,  platas.  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  includad  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  iaft  hand  cornar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  iilustrata  tha 
mathod: 


Las  cartas,  pianchas,  tabiaaux,  ate,  pauvant  Atra 
fiimte  A  das  taux  da  reduction  diffArants. 
Lorsqua  la  documant  ast  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  an  un  saul  ciich*,  il  ast  film*  A  partir 
da  I'angla  supAriaur  gaucha,  da  gaucha  h  droita, 
at  da  haut  an  bas.  an  pranant  ia  nombra 
d'imagas  nAcsssaira.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
iiiustrant  la  mAthoda. 


rata 


slurs. 


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CRUISE  OF  THE  U.  S.  STEAMER 

-RUSH'' 


IM 


BKMRIiMO    S  B^ 


SUMMER  OP  iaS9 


"to  I  to  the  wintry  winds  'he  pil-*  ji<iS# 
Hla  bark  cRrcer:n«  o'er  u -ifnthota«^!  &«§&»► 
Cold  on  his  midnigbt  watcH  thf  I>«««a6««  WiW 
From  wastes  that  slumber  In  ^teraaJ  m-m, 
An<1  waft  acroM  the  waves'  t«»!«tto*r>*»  s»e? 
(■'X'  ■,  rj f< s  iot^ howl/mm  i}tim&.\  m%-  „•,.,■'#»•«■  ** 


BY 


TSABEI.  vS.  SHEFAtB 


THE  iimtm^rf  ^>Mr 


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TB9 


CRUISE  OF  THE  U.  S.  STEAMER 


ZN 


BKHRING    SBA 


SX7MMBR  OP  1889 


"  Lo  I  to  the  wlntty  winds  the  pilot  yleldfl 
S^  bark  careering  o'er  unfitthomed  fleldSi 
Odd  on  hia  midnight  watdx  the  breezes  blow 
From  wastes  that  slumber  in  eternal  snow, 
And  waft  across  the  waves'  tumultuous  ;oar 
The  wolf's  tome  howl  from  OunaUuha's  shorg," 

Caupbelv—"  Pleasttxes  of  Biope." 


BT 


ISABBh  a  SHBPARB 


SAN  FBANOISOO 

THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY 

1889 


ii'l: 


r^r^wmfj^'S^m 


Entered.according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1889,  by 
ISABEL  S.  SHEPARD 


In  the  Office  ot  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at.  Washington 


^ij  ^|^((p^j),»^^p^lJyJ,wwJ^»^,».wf,!;f;'|»»!if'|(»'■.'^^ 


DBOICATION 


THIS  LITTLE  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  TO  MY 

RELATIVES  AND  FRIENDS,  FOR 

WHOM  IT  IS  ESPECIALLY 

WRITTEN. 


31562 


|ifiisi.^..4nj.w4'.yj»' Jtl'l.li"  I  giH!.W'SWi!HV!ifl. 


^^•iI^--T^yiw,yn-^  "WV^JIl  ^f^"®^'%  "^  (\k  "   ■'  ■ 


'-^■^'Ta-"' 


IREFACE 


I  beg  the  charity  of  the  public,  for  this  my  first 
and  only  book.  It  is  with  fear  and  trembling  I 
launch  it  on  the  stormy  sea  of  criticism. 

Several  relatives  and  friends  requested  me  to  keep 
a  diary  of  the  trip  to  Oonalaska,  whither  I  was 
allowed  by  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington 
to  accompany  m^  husband,  on  his  annual  cruise  in 
those  waters,  in  command  of  the  U.  S.  Steamer 
Rush.  I  did  so,  and  it  grew  to  such  proportions 
as  to  become  a  book.  On  my  return  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, I  was  urged  to  publish  it,  as  containing  matter 
perhaps  of  interest  to  all,  pertaining,  as  it  does,  to  a 
strange  and  unknown  part  of  our  country. 

I  make  no  claim  to  being  '*  literary,"  therefore  if 
the  style  be  somewhat  crude  I  will  be  exonerated 
from  posing  before  the  world  as  an  author.  I  have 
simply  tried  to  tell  in  a  readable  form  the  occur- 
rences and  incidents  of  a  trip  of  four  and  a  half 
months  in  Alaskan  waters. 

Isabel  S.  Shepard. 


NoTB.— The  speUing  of  the  Russiau  names  adopted  in  i^hlii  book  is  after 
Ivan  Petroif,  in  his  •'  Report  of  the  Resources,  Population,  etc.,  of  Alaslca." 


m- 


eeNTENTS 


CHAPTB 
I. 

It 

The  8TAini*          .... 

»A0> 

9 

n. 

OUMOA              ..... 

.      16 

in. 

Squaw  Habbob  and  Sako  Poiin' 

22 

IV. 

Goal  Habbob  and  Belkovbky 

.      28 

V. 

Bblkovsky— Continued 

84 

VI. 

Kino's  Gove  And  East  Anohob  Habbob  . 

.      45 

vn. 

OONALASKA              .... 

63 

VIU. 

"  Thetis  "—"  Kbaysab  "—"  Bbab  » 

.      60 

IX. 

OONALASKA  HaPPBNINOS 

67 

X. 

OoNALASKA  HAPPENINGS— Continaed 

.      75 

XI. 

ThbAlbutes       .... 

82 

XII. 

The  Albutes— Continued   . 

90 

xrii. 

GOVEBNME^  OF  THE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS 

99 

XIV. 

The  Foubth  of  July  at  Oonalaska 

.    106 

XV. 

The  Fibst  Seizube  and  Othbb  Mattxbs 

112 

XVI. 

MoBE  "  Sealebs,"  and  othbb  Incidents  . 

.    124 

xvn. 

A  Tbamp  oveb  the  Hills 

130 

xvm. 

8bal,  OB  Pbibylof,  Islands— St.  Gbobob 

.    138 

XIX. 

Seal  Islands,  Continued— St.  Paul    . 

148 

XX. 

GhASINO  THE  "  SeaLEBS  "       .               .               . 

.    154 

XXI. 

Betubn  TO  Oonalaska   . 

160 

XXII. 

Items  IN  Bbief          .... 

.    167 

XXIII. 

The  Gave             .                     .          , 

172 

XXIV. 

Last  Days  AT  Oonalaska   . 

.    179 

XXV. 

News  fbom  the  Nobth   . 

186 

XXVI. 

OuB  Bbpabtube  and  Tbip  Eabtwabd 

.    191 

XXVTl. 

Kadiak     ..... 

199 

XXVTII. 

MOBE  ABOUT  KaDIAK 

.    206 

XX  tx. 

Sitka        ..... 

213 

XXX. 

Yakutat        ..... 

.    219 

XXXI. 

Indians  OF  Yakutat 

226 

xxTfn. 

Sitka  Again             .... 

.    284 

xxxm. 

HoMEWABD  Bound 

240 

XXXIV. 

PuGBT  Sound            .... 

.    246 

XXXV. 

Seattle  and  Home  Again 
( vii ) 

264 

mg^W  ■'  ■'«?fs^<,*'rf  ^    ' 


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4^ 


CRUISE  OF  THE  U.  S.  STEAMER 


''RUSH" 


IN 


BKHRING    SEA 

SUMMER  1889 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE   START. 


JUt;WAS  my  good  fortune,  as  one  of  those 
^1  who  like  novelty  in  any  fc  j,  to  be  permitted 
by  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington  to 
accompany  my  husband,  the  Commander  of  the 
U.  S.  Steamer  Rushj  on  his  yearly  cruise  among  the 
seal  islands  of  Behring  Sea,  his  object  being  to 
protect  the  seal  fisheries. 

At  present  the  subject  is  much  discussed  by  our 
American  Press,  as  to  our  rights  to  claim  the  whole 
of  Behring  Sea  as  our  private  property,  and  thus 
including  all  the  fur-bearing  animals  found  within 
it.  Naturally,  the  threats  on  the  British  side  to 
resist  the  claim  of  the  Americans,  and  the  evident 
sanction  given  to  sealers  to  start  on  their  yearly 
depredations  in  that  sea  notwithstanding  the  proc- 
lamation of  President  Harrison  to  the  effect  that 

(9) 


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;. 


10 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


any  vessels  found  in  the  Behring  Sea  killing  seal, 
or  other  fur-bearing  animals,  without  an  authorized 
right  to  do  so,  shall  be  captured  and  confiscated,  etc., 
etc.,  added  a  little  piquancy  to  the  trip  by  the  antici- 
pation of  perhaps  a  few  harmless  shots,  and  more 
menacing  between  the  Revenue  Gutters  and  Sealers, 
and  it  might  be  between  the  American  and  British 
Men-of-War,  which  were  expected  in  Behring  Sea 
during  the  summer. 

We  sailed  Saturday,  June  1st,  at  about  2  p.  m.,  from 
San  Francisco;  out  through  our  renowned  ''Golden 
Gate,"  through  the  almost  inevitable  mist  or  fog  at 
that  season  of  the  year,  towards  the  great  Pacific. 
Day  after  day  we  sailed  far  out  of  the  sight  of  land 
on  this  almost  boundless  expanse  of  water.  Our 
little  vessel  was  loaded  heavily  with  one  hundred 
tons  of  coal  and  five  months'  supply  of  provisions. 
We  even  rejoiced  in  livestock  to  the  extent  of  four 
sheep  and  a  little  goat.  The  latter  became  quite 
a  pet  with  my  two  little  boys,  though  not  for  long, 
for  a  month  later  he  came  to  an  untimely  end,  to 
their  great  grief  and  that  of  the  sailors  as  well. 
There  was  nothing  that  goat  hesitated  to  eat,  although 
well  fed,  too  well  fed,  for  he  ate,  the  men  said,  twi'je 
his  own  size  in  hay  every  day.  He  tried  burnt 
matches,  cigarette  stumps,  pieces  of  rope  yarn  and 
everything  else  he  could  get  hold  of,  till  finally  one 
day  he  ate  an  extra  large  quantity  of  waste  cotton 
from  the  engine-room — ^this  was  too  much,  nature 
would  no  more,  and  the  goat  departed  this  life.     It 


LftiMMUii.ifaiiaiiiiw 


rillWlilim 


'•ItirtilJNfil 


THE  START 


11 


kg  seal, 
borized 
ediOto., 
antici- 
d  more 
3ealerst 
British 
ng  Sea 

(.,  from 
Golden 
fog  at 
Pacific, 
of  land 
.  Our 
mdred 
isions. 
)f  four 

quite 
r  long, 
3nd,  to 

well, 
hough 
,  twi^e 
burnt 
n  and 
ly  one 
sotton 
lature 
e.     It 


was  only  after  the  post  mortem  examination  by  the 
men  that  the  secret  was  discovered.  Soon  after  his 
demise  two  infant  gulls  were  caught  and  carried 
aboard  by  the  men,  in  lieu  of  any  other  pets.  They 
grew  with  surprising  rapidity;  their  voracity  equaled 
if  not  exceeded  that  of  the  lamented  goat's.  They 
were  all  bill  and  legs  and  were  insatiable.  To  our 
great  amusement  the  Dutch  sailors  aboard  alluded 
to  them  as  "  chickens  mit  de  swvim  feets.'' 

My  digressions  must  be  pardoned ,  I  like  to  put 
things  down  when  I  think  of  them  for  fear  of  their 
escaping  my  memory  entirely.  To  return  to  our 
sheep.  These  animals  were  to  rusticate  on  a  little 
barren  island  in  the  harbor  of  Oonalaska,  for  the 
summer,  at  our  command  yielding  themselves  for 
mutton. 

Twenty  tons  of  coal  weighed  down  the  after  part 
of  the  main  deck,  and  was  allowed  to  remain  there, 
''to  keep  her  down  by  the  stern,'*  as  I  heard 
reiiiarked,  for  the  Rush  has  an  uncomfortable  habit 
of  •*  kicking  up,"  her  propeller  being  lifted  high 
and  dry  in  the  air,  on  the  least  pretext.  Our  quar- 
ters were  "  aft,"  and  therefore  I  was  glad  of  any- 
thing that  would  have  a  quieting  effect  on  that  end 
of  the  assel,  though  it  was  rather  inconvenient 
climbing  over  bags  of  coal,  whenever  it  was  neces- 
sary to  go  down  into  the  cabin,  or  come  up  on  deck. 

I  awaited  my  doom  calmly  and  resignedly — it 
was  not  my  first  sea  trip.  I  knew  it  would  come — 
first,  that  horrible  giddiness,  then  worse,  that  inex- 


12 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


pressibly  horrible  sensation — nausea,  ma/-<i6-mer, 
much  laughed  at,  but,  nevertheless,  only  too  real 
and  incurable.  When  convalescing,  jokes  were 
numberless  at    my    expense    among    the    officers, 

"Well,  Mrs.  S ,"  said  one,  one  day,  meeting  me 

on  the  quarterdeck,  "  Do  you  still   cling   to  your 
bucket?" 
"  Oh,  no,"  answered  I,  I  am  way  beyond  buckets." 
"  What  ?  "  said  he,  "  have  you  taken  to  tubs  ?" 
Three  decidedly  uncomfortable   days   followed — 
as   our  friends   the   English  would   say — "beastly 
weather."    It  was  aggravating,  to  say  the  least,  to  be 
told  in  a  consolatory  tone  of  voice  by  our  Chief 
Engineer,  "  Splendid  weather  !  have  never  seen  it  so 
smooth  before  at  this  time  of  year,  and  I  've  made 
the  trip  twelve  times." 

All  this  time  the  Rush  was  plunging  her  bow  into 
great  seas  which  threatened  to  engulf  her,  but 
which,  when  she  reached  them  seemed  to  bend  their 
lofty  crests  and  quietly  glide  under. 

After  the  first  three  days  I  was  promised  beau- 
tiful weather.  For  along  the  coast  going  north  it 
is  always  apt  to  be  rough,  owing  to  the  headwinds. 
The  fourth  day  was  calm,  warm  and  bright,  sky  and 
sea  of  an  exquisite  blue.  I  recovered  both  my 
health  and  spirits,  and  the  Doctor  and  myself  passed 
a  little  of  that  day  shooting,  though  ineffectually, 
much  to  my  relief,  at  the  poor,  harmless  gulls, 
wheeling  about  our  ship  in  ever  varying  circles, 
and  following  us,  ever  on  our  track,  seemingly  the 


you,  pi 

floor. 

vow  ev 
The 

"  fair," 

say  stej 
a  cork 
extreme 
a  sentei 
kind,  a 


■pap 


mmm 


MW 


THE  START 


13 


}i 


same  birds,  twelve  or  fourteen  hundred  miles  on  the 
wing. 

That  day  we  were  already  about  five  hundred 
miles  out;  one  white  sail  was  visible,  the  only 
one  we  saw  on  our  lonely  voyage,  this  part  of  the 
Pacific  being  so  infrequently  traversed,  so  out  of  the 
line  of  travel.  Sailing  vessels  from  San  Francisco 
bound  to  Puget  Sound  leave  the  coast  and  go  out 
three  or  four  hundred  miles  or  so  to  escape  the 
prevailing  headwinds,  and  then  when  opposite  sail 
directly  in. 

Then  followed  three  days  cf  the  blankest  misery, 
all  owing,  the  sailors  thought,  to  our  shooting  at  the 
gulls.  We  were  pounded  and  banged  about  most 
unendurably  every  moment,  whether  waking  or 
sleeping,  and,  worse  than  all,  with  a  recovered  appe- 
tite when  eating.  I  cannot  imagine  anything  more 
provoking  and  conducive  to  bad  temper  than  when 
just  as  one  is  eying  and  preparing  to  swallow  a 
coveted  mouthful  your  chair  slides  away  from  under 
you,  precipitating  either  you  or  the  mouthful  on  the 
floor.  No  rest,  no  refuge  anywhere.  I  vowed,  as  I 
vow  every  time,  *'  I'll  never  go  again." 

The  wind  was  blowing  very  hard,  but  it  was 
"fair,"  and  though  all  sails  were  set,  which  sailors 
say  steadies  a  ship,  still  the  Rush  bounded  about  like 
a  cork  on  the  waves.  Our  conversations  were 
extremely  laconic,  generally  ending  in  the  midst  of 
a  sentence  with  a  smothered  exclamation  of  some 
kind,  a  profound  bow,  a  slip  and  a  slide,  and  a  frantic 


^'^fll 


14 


CRUISE  O?  THE  "RUSH" 


n 


lunge  seaward,  grasping  wildly  at  anything  within 
reach — at  least  such  was  my  fate  till  I  got  my  "  sea 
legs"  on.  This,  for  more  than  a  week,  became 
somewhat  monotonous;  it  was  but  little  smoother 
the  rest  of  t\  e  trip. 

We  were,  all  told,  ^  bout  fifty  souls  on  board. 
Eight  officers,  besides  my  husband  and  children, 
four  lieutenants,  three  engineers  and  the  doctor — 
the  rest,  the  crew,  stewards  and  cabin  boys.  I  the 
only  woman,  for  even  my  two  little  children  belonged 
to  the  opposite  sex.  Right  royally,  then,  was  I 
treated.  All  ^^ere  ready  at  my  becL  and  call,  though 
really  I  was  not  the  least  despotic,  and  continued  to 
be  as  little  in  the  way  as  possible;  respecting  at  all 
times  the  officers'  right  to  smoke  in  the  "chart- 
room,"  and  chat  among  themselves,  as  when  on 
other  trips,  without  any  of  the  "  fair  sex  "  aboard — 
I  admit  my  tan  and  freckles  hardly  admitted  me 
under  that  appellation — this  was  policy,  profound 
tact,  as  I  wanted  to  preserve  my  welcome. 

There  is  an  end  to  all  things,  and  finally  on  the 
ninth  day  from  San  Francisco  we  sighted  land.  Up 
to  this  time  not  even  a  whale  had  been  seen  to  vary 
the  monotony  of  the  voyage.  -  Therefore  the  idea  of 
land,  anything  in  the  shape  of  terra  firma,  whether 
barren  or  otherwise,  was  welcome.  It  was  Simeonofif 
Island,  sighted  afar  off  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  Next,  and  at  about  eight,  we  saw  near  at 
hand  Mountain  Cape,  Nagai  Island,  a  bold  promon- 
tory of  an  elevation  of  perhaps  four  or  five  hundred 


THE  START 


13 


feet,  projecting  into  the  sea.  The  morning  was 
cloudy  and  rainy,  "squally  weather,"  the  sailors 
called  it,  the  rain  and  wind  coming  at  intervals. 
The  sudden  sharp  gusts  that  blow  among  the  islands 
and  in  the  little  harbors,  in  Alaskan  parlance,  are 
termed  "  wooUys." 


kJ^ 


% 


CHAPTER   II. 


OUNGA. 

iJlUR  FIRST  PORT  WAS  OUNGA,  on  the  Island 
^^  of  Ounga)  one  of  the  Shumajjin  group  of 
islands,  and  as  we  neared  it  the  land  became  more 
and  more  interesting,  owing  to  the  difference  in 
elevation,  forms  of  the  mountains,  and  the  fantastic 
outlines  of  the  shore.  Many  and  varied  were  the 
shapes  of  the  rocks  worn  by  the  action  of  the  water. 
At  the  entrance  to  the  little  cove  in  which  Ounga  is 
situated  there  stands  a  large  rock  out  in  the  water, 
about  two  hundred  feet  high,  and  perhaps  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  circumference,  covered  with  a  thick .  rich 
carpet  of  grass,  like  a  padded  cushion — from  the 
ship  it  looked  like  moss-^a  fitting  throne  for  old 
Neptune.  Its  sides  were  perpendicular,  and  in  every 
little  rift  in  the  rock  nestled  a  snow-white  gull,  while 
hundreds  flew  around  and  around,  uttering  their 
sharp  little  cries.  At  its  base  foamed  and  dashed 
the  waves. 

My  knowledge  of  geology  is  slight,  but  the  appear- 
ance of  the  rock  suggested  upright  strata.  Many 
believe  all  the  Aleutian  Islands  are  volcanic  in  their 
origin.  Earthquakes  are  frequent,  and  there  are  a 
number  of  volcanoes  scattered  over  the  islands,  two  of 
which  are  at  the  present  time  active.    The  last  one 

(16) 


OUNGA 


17 


showing  much  disturbance  within  was  Akutan,on  the 
island  of  the  same  name.  Two  years  ago  my  husband 
saw  it  in  eruption,  as  he  passed  the  island  on  one  of 
his  yearly  cruises.  He  said  it  burst  forth  with  great 
violence — detonations  as  of  thunder,  or  the  dis- 
charge of  artillery,  were  heard  forty  miles  awayj 
darkness  spread  over  the  sky,  and  ashes  fell  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  miles,  while  melted  lava 
flowed  in  streams  down  its  sides  into  the  sea. 

During  the  winter  of  *88  and  *89  all  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands  were  greatly  disturbed  by  a  succession  of 
earthquake  shocks.  The  white  inhabitants  feared 
their  houses  would  fall  down  about  their  ears.  It  was 
the  severest  shock  felt  for  many  years,  arid  was  espe- 
cially severe  at  Ounga.  There  are  hot  springs  on  the 
Island  of  Akutan,  and  that  of  Oonalaska.  About 
thirty  miles  from  Oonalaska,  in  1884  or  '5,  an  island  a 
mile  in  length,  and  near  another  larger  island  called 
"Bogosloff"  (or  Bogoslov),  which  itself  was  thrown 
up  some  time  in  the  early  part  of  this  century, 
appeared  above  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

My  husband  visited  it  a  year  ago,  and  from  the 
seams  in  the  rocks  there  still  emitted  smoke  and 
steam.  The  earth  was  of  a  white,  chalky  appearance. 
The  inclemency  of  the  weather  prevented  him 
from  landing  and  examining  it  more  closely.  This 
all  indicates  especial  activity  under  the  thin  crust 
separating  the  Aleutian  Islands  from  the  nether  fires. 

To  return  to  Ounga,  opposite  this  enormous  rock 
on  the  other  side  of  the  entrance  into  the  harbor 

CRUISB  of  THB  "  RUBH."     2 


i  ■  ; 


18 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


were  two  natural  arches  excavated  in  the  rock  by  the 
action  of  the  waves.  But  these  are  common  in  many 
places  along  a  rocky  sea  coast.  In  other  localities  we 
saw  plainly,  so  that  even  my  little  boys  could  recog- 
nize at  a  glance  in  the  formation  of  the  rocks,  once, 
an  elephant's  head  and  part  of  the  back  ;  again,  a 
crouching  lion  sleeping  on  the  sea,  massivo  and 
strongly  calling  to  mind  the  Sphinx  of  Egypt,  asleep 
for  ages  in  a  sea  of  sand. 

It  was  raining  when  we  came  to  anchorage ;  a 
boat  was  lowered  into  which  my  husband  was  jump- 
ing, regardless  of  me,  when  I  said,  '  I'm  going  too  !" 
He  answered, "  You  are  !  didn't  expect  you  would 
go  in  this  rain."  But  rain  had  no  terrors  for  me 
after  being  nine  days  a  prisoner  without  any  means 
of  exercise.  So  as  they  were  in  a  hurry  I  was  coolly 
ordered  down  the  ladder,  instead  of  the  gangway 
usually  lowered  for  me.  and  hustled,  unceremo- 
niously, into  the  large  whale-boat,  manned  by  five 
men.  We  went  slowly  through  the  heavy  sea  in  a 
blinding  mist,  with  a  strong  wind  blowing  and  at 
last  gained  the  beach.  We  were  greeted  by  no  one, 
strange  to  say,  having  seen  various  figures  flitting 
around  before  we  landed.  It  is  not  that  the  Aleutes 
are  devoid  of  that  common  failing,  curiosity,  but 
they  are  very  shy,  and  as  we  neared  them  they 
retired.  As  we  passed  each  little  house  we  obtained 
glimpses  of  families  of  eight  or  ten,  of  all  ages  and 
sizes  peering  out  the  windows  at  us,  the  baby  in  its 
father's  or  mother's  arms. 


iW^F^m 


OUNGA 


19 


Ounga  consists  of  about  thirty  extremely  small 
houses,  a  diminutive  Greek  church  and  a  store. 
We  made  our  way  into  the  church  after  arousing  the 
whole  population  to  get  the  key.  On  entering  we 
found  a  copy  in  miniature  of  the  not  over  large 
church  at  Sitka.  So  many  tourists  visit  Sitka  its 
church  has  become  too  well  known  for  a  description 
here.  Where  at  Sitka  the  ornaments  were  of  gold 
and  silver,  at  Ounga  was  imitation  in  everything. 
Tawdry  laces,  ribbons,  and  cheapness  in  every  form. 
The  evident  effort  to  beautify  to  the  utmost  their 
little  sanctuary  struck  me  as  intensely  pathetic. 
Wild-flowers  filled  such  vessels  as  were  available.  I 
noticed  particulaily  what  was,  no  doubt,  a  piece  of 
native  workmanbhip,  a  wooden  chandelier  made  in 
the  conventional  shape,  holding  six  candles,  and 
carved  of  different  colors  of  wood,  dark  and  light,  in 
a  not  altogether  tasty  combination.  The  whole 
thing  lacked  grace  and  symmetry. but  was  probably 
the  pride  of  the  people.  The  acting  priest,  for  I 
believe  he  was  not  altogether  one,  was  a  poor  hunch- 
back, almost  a  dwarf,  with  a  sad  look  in  his  face  and 
an  humble  demeanor.  He  did  not  talk  English,  at 
least  to  us,  at  all,  and  looked  more  like  an  Aleute 
than  a  Russian.  He  was  probably  of  mixed  parent- 
age, as  the  Russians  of  these  islands  and  Aleutes 
intermarry  very  extensively. 

The  population  of  Ounga  consisted  of  about  two 
hundred  in  all,  in  that  number  only  nine  white 
men    or  Americans,   but   no  white  women   living 


20 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


ft'.  4 


P  i ' 


■i  ■  ■ 


r  ^  ■ 

■      i  ■-■ 

■  ■■ 

,    ;  ' 

;  ;  ' 


there  at  that  time.     The  store  was  kept  by  a  white 

man,  Mr.  H ,  who  was  very  gentlemanly  and 

polite  to  us.  In  the  store  we  found  the  usual  con- 
glomeration of  groceries,  hardware  and  dry -goods 
usually  found  in  country  shops.  Two  or  three 
Aleutes  were  present,  v/ho  stared  at  me  in  a  stupid 
way,  as  if  they  had  rarely  ever  seen  a  white  woman. 

While  in  the  store  I  asked  for  a  pair  of  mittens, 
my  hands  having  suffered  sadly  from  the  cold,  kid 

gloves  and  gauntlets  being  no  protection.    Mr.  H 

hunted  high  and  low,  but  could  only  produce  one 
of  each,  of  three  dififerent  colored  pairs,  all  so  huge, 
really,  though  I  was  not  over  particular  as  to  looks, 
I  could  not  quite  make  up  my  mind  to  take  color, 
size  and  texture  not  exactly  coinciding  with  my 
notions  of  taste. 

We  shook  hands,  said  good-bye,  and  left. 

Having  on  close  examination  found  us  to  be 
harmless  we  were  followed  through  the  town  by 
most  of  the  children,  'their  name  is  legion,"  to  our 
boat. 

Before  embarking,  accompanied  by  one  of  the 
lieutenants,  I  amused  myself  in  picking  wild-flow- 
ers. I  noticed  the  natives  seemed  very  fond  of 
them,  which  must  be  owing  to  their  Russian  blood, 
for  in  his  interesting  articles  G.  W.  Kennan  speaks 
of  the  general  fondness  of  the  Kussian,  even  in 
Siberia,  for  flowers,  the  meanest  little  hut  always 
sheltering  some  flower,  however  simple.  We  noticed 
the  ground  was  strewn  with  such  as  had  been  picked 


OUNGA 


21 


and  dropped  again  ;  in  the  windows  were  tin  cans, 
holding  bunches,  and  on  the  graves  in  the  small 
yard  surrounding  the  church  were  others,  freshly 
picked  and  strewn  over  them.  Even  there  in  that 
far-off  dreary  land  the  human  heart  is  the  same — 
"  honor  the  dead." 

The  graves  all  had  wooden  crosses,  the  Greek  cross, 
at  their  heads,  and  some  were  inclosed  with  palings 
painted  white,  as  were  also  the  crosses.  These 
graves  were  in  the  heart  of  the  village,  constantly 
reminding  the  inhabitants,  if  they  ever  think,  that 
"  in  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death." 

We  had  scarcely  landed  when,  as  if  to  show  us 
what  beauty  really  lay  hid  behind  the  clouds  and 
gloom,  the  sun  burst  gloriously  forth,  flooding  the 
heavens  and  earth  with  radiance.  The  sea  looked 
deeply  beautifully  blue,  edged  with  a  white  line  of 
foam  where  it  dashed  against  the  rocks.  The  hills 
became  a  rich  green  where  before  they  had  looked 
so  brown  and  somber. 

The  grass  growing  on  the  islands  is  peculiar :  a 
broad  blade  about  a  foot  long  and  emitting  a  sweet 
odor  like  that  of  growing  corn.  It  was  still  too  early 
for  the  mantle  of  vivid  green,  which  in  a  month 
more  covered  everything.  There  were  then  no  signs 
of  the  innumerable  berry-bushes  which  we  had 
been  told  abounded  everywhere. 


H"^ 


^■iHilP^^ 


CHAPTER  ni. 


SQUAW   HARBOR  AND  SAND  POINT. 

fME  LEFT  DIRECTLY  for  a  small  place  called 
^^  "  Squaw  Harbor,"  about  nine  miles  distant. 
Soon  after  leaving  Ounga  there  appeared  before 
us  a  school  of  whales,  the  first  we  had  seen, 
sporting  at  a  tantalizing  distance.  They  are  not 
sociable,  those  whales,  and  never  would  consent  to 
come  near  enough  to  be  looked  at. 

My  husband  as  part  of  his  duty  visits  all  those 
little  places  while  on  the  yearly  cruise,  being  invested 
as  it  were,  temporarily,  with  the  offices  of  judge 
and  jury  also,  in  many  cases.  Complaints  are 
brought  to  him  from  every  direction,  and  of  every 
description,  there  really  being  no  other  authority  to 
appeal  to.  It  is  a  novel  position  for  him,  and  humor- 
ous cases  are  sometimes  brought  to  his  knowledge. 
Personal  grievances,  such  as  divorce  cases,  applica- 
tions for  naturalization  papers  and  other  questions 
of  like  nature  were  brought  to  this  tribunal. 
At  Squaw  Harbor  there  was  a  gold  mine  recently 

opened,  and  promising  good  results.     Mr.  B ,  a 

mining  engineer,  who  had  spent  the  better  part  of 
two  years  there,  and  was  interested  in  the  mine,  had 
had  for  the  last  eight  months  his  wife  and  little  girl, 
a  child  of  ten,  with  him.    There  they  had  lived  all 

(22) 


^sfTOjpfr 


'  ^j,'JH»™w^' 


^^WWW"W»«lW"»«i 


lip»w^p 


SQUAW  HARBOR  AND  SAND  POINT 


28 


that  time,  their  only  companions  two  or  three  miners 
and  a  native  woman  called  **  Touchy  Ann,"  or  so  her 

name  was  pronounced,  who  assisted  Mrs.  B in 

her  housekeeping  duties. 

A  good  deal  of  ore  had  bean  secured,  but  just  after 
the  apparatus  had  been  put  in  working  order,  a 
strange  combination  had  been  formed  of  a  base 
material  and  the  quicksilver,  while  the  gold  escaped, 
proving  a  total  loss,  much  to  the  distress  of  all  con- 
cerned. Mr.  B had,  therefore,  made  all  prepa- 
rations to  go  to  San  Francisco  in  search  of  some 
formula  whereby  to  counteract  the  bad  effect.  There 
are  a  number  of  gold  mines  on  the  islands,  but  as 
yet  they  have  not  proved  as  rich  as  was  anticipated. 

Mrs.  B ,who  was  in  delicate  health,was  awaiting 

a  steamer  expected  daily  to  take  her  to  Oonalaska.  In 
common  humanity  we  could  not  leave  her  there,  so 
my  husband  offered  to  take  her  there  on  the  Rush. 
It  was  well  we  did  so,  for  the  steamer  did  not  go 
to  Squaw  Harbor  as  expected,  and  she  would  have 
been  left  there  probably  to  die,  without  any  medical 
care.  What  a  country  for  a  poor  wife  and  expectant 
mother  to  be  left  in,  all  alone  and  uncared  for. 

While  at  Squaw  Harbor  the  men  amused  them- 
selves by  catching  fish.  These  all  proved  to  be  cod. 
I  also  caught  my  first  large  fish  there,  and  hauled 
him  out  with  great  pride  and  delight,  and  summon- 
ing the  steward  ordered  him  to  cook  that  fish  and  no 
other  for  our  dinner.     It  was  delicious. 

We  were  presented  by  some  fisherman  with  a  mag- 


24 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


nificent  salmon,  called  a  king  salmon,  weighing 
thirty-two  pounds.  This  fish  differs  from  the  salmon 
of  commerce  in  that  its  flesh  is  white,  while  the 
salmon  used  for  canning  is  red.  It  is  also  a  much 
larger  fish.  We  tried  him  for  dinner  the  next  day, 
and  found  he  equaled  if  not  exceeded  in  excellence 
the  red  salmon.  Such  deliciously  fresh  fish  then  was 
a  novelty  to  me,  and  enjoyed  accordingly,  though  I 
was  warned  it  would  prove  the  better  part  of  our 
m^nu  during  the  summer. 

Sand  Point  was  our  next  port,  where  lived  an  agent 
(Mr.  O'B ),  of  "  Lynde  &  Houghs,''  of  San  Fran- 
cisco— last  year  the  hero  of  quite  a  tragedy.  A  man 
who  was  considered  very  dangerous  had  been  hand- 
cuffed at  Mr.  O'B 's   orders,  thus  exciting  his 

animosity.  In  some  wiiy  he  stole  into  his  enemies' 
quarters,   and  succeeded  in  securing  his  revolver. 

Coming  out  he  found  Mr.  O'B and  fired  at  him, 

handcuffed  as  he  was.  The  victim  crouched  behind 
some  barrels  and  evaded  two  shots;  the  third  struck 
home,  entering  above  the  nose  and  coming  out  at  the 
throat,  as  it  happened,  not  injuring  any  vital  organs, 
and  I  saw  him  on  that  day  a  year  afterwards,  and  was 
hardly  able  to  detect  any  signs  of  the  unfortunate 
event. 

The  murderer  seemed  bent  on  killing  all  at  his 
mercy,  and  next  shot  and  killed  an  inoffensive  old 
man,  who  was  peacefully  smoking  his  pipe  at  his 
own  door.  The  murderer  escaped  from  the  place 
only  to  find  how  useless  it  was  for  him  to  look  for 


SQUAW  HARBOR  AND  SAND  POINT 


25 


shelter  anywhere  around  those  barren  shores,  and 
he  finally  came  back  and  delivered  himself  up  to 
justice,  confessing  at  the  same  time  that  the  face  of 
the  old  man  haunted  him. 

My  husband  had  the  unpleasant  duty  of  taking 
hiiTi  as  a  passenger  and  a  prisoner  to  San  Francisco 
on  the  Rush.  When  near  there,  just  before  arriving 
at  port,  and  before  it  was  yet  day,  the  murderer, 
having  been  taken  on  deck,  watched  his  opportunity 
and  jumped  overboard,  evidently  thinking  himself 
nearer  land  than  he  actually  was.  A  boat  was  low- 
ered, and  he  was  overtaken  and  brought  back  to 
await  his  merited  punishment. 

Codfish  are  caught  near  Sand  Point  in  great  num- 
bers, salted  and  sent  to  San  Francisco. 

There  were  two  schooners  at  anchor  near  Sand 
Point.  One,  the  Dashing  Wave,  was  about  to  sail 
for  San  Francisco,  much  to  our  satisfaction,  thus 
affording  us  an  unexpected  chance  to  send  news  of 
ourselves  to  our  impatient  friends  and  families  at 
home.     We  anchored  there  all  night. 

Our  next  port  was  "  Pirates'  Gove."  There  was  to 
me  a  certain  fascination  about  the  name;  and  truly, 
if  there  were  such  marauders  there,  they  vjould 
scarce  have  selected  a  fitter  spot  as  a  hiding-place. 
As  we  neared  it  we  could  see  no  signs  of  any  habi- 
tation anywhere,  yet  behind  a  great  arm  of  rock, 
which  seemed  to  bend  protectingly  around  them, 
were  several  little  fishermen's  houses,  for  it  is  a 
fishing  station,  where  they  catch  salmon,  cod  and 


26 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


otlier  fish  in  great  numbers.  These  are  also  salted 
and  sent  to  San  Francisco.  We  could  from,  our 
position  obtain  no.  view  of  the  houses.     A  boat  was 

sent  off  with  the  doctor  and  First  Lieutenant  T , 

carrying  with  them  a  letter  or  two  for  the  fishermen 
— for  we  ^\rere,  in  ^hose  far-away  regions,  a  "  mail 
packet,"  find  in  fact  acted  in  almost  every  other 
capacity  as  well. 

The  higher  elevations  among  these  islands  are 
covered  with  snow.  On  the  lower  hills  it  remained 
in  patches  on  the  sides  almost  all  summer,  forming 
the  most  curious  hieroglyphics,  presenting  to  a  vivid 
imagination  a  speaking  picture  language. 

On  the  island  of  Ounga  are  two  especially  high 
mountains,  with  sharp,  pointed  peaks — we  conjec- 
tured about  from  four  to  five  thousand  feet  high. 
The  whole  island  is  very  mountainous.  The  Aleu- 
tian Islands  present  a  far  different  appearance  from 
those  fringing  the  shores  of  Alaska  farther  to  the 
eastward  and  British  Columbia.  The  latter  are  cov-^ 
ered  with  dense  vegetation  down  to  the  water's 
edge.  A  tangle  of  salmon  berry  bushes,  tall  ferns  and 
many  different  shrubs  form  an  impenetrable  thicket 
through  which  one  has  to  cut  his  way. 

These  bushes  are  but  underbrush  around  the  base^ 
of  thick  forests  of  trees,  among  which  the  spruce 
and  pine  are  the  most  common.  The  red  and  yellow 
cedars,  fir,  balsam  and  hemlock  are  also  found  there. 
There  is  scarcely  a  road  five  miles  in  length  in  Alaska; 
all  communication  is  by  water,  through  channels- 


^hjHMiijMMta 


SQUAW  HARBOR  AND  SAND  POINT 


27 


and  rivers,  of  the  latter,  of  which  there  are  many, 
very  large  and  navigable  for  long  distances. 

Back  from  the  wooded  hills  along  the  coast  are 
ranges  of  higher  hills  or  mountains  resembling  the 
more  elevated  ranges  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  because 
more  bare  and  rugged  and  covered  with  snow. 
These  are  north  of  Sitka.  Yet  no  mountains  on 
the  islands  equal  in  grandeur  Mts.  Fairweather, 
Crillion  and  La  Perouse  at  Glacier  Bay. 

The  air  was  raw  and  chilly.  As  yet  we  had  had 
but  fitful  bursts  of  sunshine  only  a  few  moments  at 
a  time,  with  intermittent  showers  of  rain. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


COAL  HARBOR  AND  BELEOVSEY. 

^T  COAL  HARBOR,    another    smrll    port   at 

^1^  which  we  stopped,  lived  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T . 

There  is  a  coal  mine  there,  as  the    name  of   the 

harbor  implies.     It  is  owned  by  Mr.  T .     My 

hnsband  had  orders  from  Washington  later  in  the 
season  to  test  the  coal  and  determine  the  practicabil- 
ity of  its  becoming  the  coaling  station  for  the  vessels 
coming  into  Behring  Sea  to  cruise.  The  coal  was 
Tiot  generally  cmsidered  of  a  very  good  quality,  nor 
was  it  very  plentiful.  It  was  not  shipped  anywhere, 
but  used  only  in  the  vicinity. 

On  the  beach  about  Coal  Harbor  is  found  a  quan- 
tity of  petrified  wood. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  T have  a  comfortable  little  home 

at  this  station.     A  year  ago  Mrs.  T was  the 

happy  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  chick- 
ens, but  the  hard  and  stormy  winter  kille'^  oPP  the 
round  hundred  and,  to  her  grief,  left  onl}'  twenty- 
five.  The  sun,  we  were  told,  was  not  seen  for  two 
months  during  the  winter  of  '88-9. 

There  is  not  an  excess  of  snow  C'a  the  I,*  ^nds,  nor 
is  the  winter  very  long.  The  thermometer  at  that 
season  never  goes  below  the  zero  of  Fahrenheit  and 
sometimes  in  summer  rises  to  seventy  degrees  above. 

(28) 


^^'^m 


^% 


COAL  HAEBOR  AND  ELKOVSKY 


29 


W 


The  climate  is  more  uniform  all  the  year  round 
than  farther  east  on  the  mainland  and  the  interior 
of  Alaska,  where  there  are  more  decided  extremes. 
Snow  at  Oou?laska  and  vicinity  rarely  falls  over  two 
feet  in  depth  at  a  time,  and  not  often  so  deep,  while 
in  some  parts  of  California  among  the  mountains 
snow  falls  to  a  depth  of  six  or  eight  feet.  The  coast 
of  Alaska  and  Aleutian  Islands  is  tempered  by  the 
Japan  current,  which  influences  the  climate  there  as 
does  the  gulf  stream  the  coasts  of  France  and  Eng- 
land. 

To  return  to  Coal  Harbor  and  Mrs.  T .   Owing 

to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  I  did  not  go  ashore 

and   Mrs.  T had  the  kindness  to  send  me  a 

bunch  of  purple  pansies  of  which  she  had  a  number 
growing  in  her  house.  They  were  greatly  appre- 
ciated, as  much  so,  perhaps,  as  a  pailfu!  of  the 
freshest  of  eggs,  the  contribution  of  the  desolate  and 
bereft  little  hens. 

There  was  a  schoonf-r  at  Coal  Harbor  for  which 
my  husband  had  mail,  and  which  in  return  had  a 
box  for  our  poor  invalid,  Mrs.  B . 

As  we  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  the  line  to 
which  the  patent  log  was  attached  got  caught 
around  our  propeller,  owing  to  the  carelessness  or 
forgetfulness  of  the  quartermaster.  Whereupon  we 
had  to  stop  and  extricate  it,  and  our  poor  quarter- 
master was  required  to  resign  his  post  in  favor  of 
some  Oi.")  else  with  a  better  memory,  so  strict  must 
be  the  discipline. 


..^sl- 


m 


30 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


Myriads  of  the'  small  white  seagulls  resembling 
doves  hovered  about  this  island.  There  was  also  a 
beautiful  hird  called  the  sea-parrot,  having  a  deep 
red,  parrot  ped  bill,  from  which  it  derives  its 
name.  The  i>ody  of  the  male  is  entirely  black,  that 
of  the  female  differs  only  in  its  white  breast.  On 
the  head  are  two  small,  erect,  cream  colored  tufts, 
while  the  legs  are  of  a  bright  red. 

There  are  a  few  birds  natives  of  these  islands  not 
found  anywhere  else.  One  of  these  is  the  "rosy 
finch,*'  a  very  pretty  small  bird  with  pink  or  rose- 
colored  feathers  about  its  breast  and  under  the 
wings.  Th*^  rest  of  the  body  is  a  light  brown.  The 
only  song-bird  is  the  songster  sparrow,  which  utters 
a  few  soft  sweet  notes.  It  is  quite  common.  The 
"  rock  ptarmigan  "  or  grouse,  is  also  found,  of  a  par- 
ticular variety  not  common  elsewhere.  The  latter 
change  their  plumage  from  brown  to  white  in  winter, 
as  do  so  many  of  the  birds  near  the  Arctic. 

There  are  numbers  of  other  varieties  of  birds 
found  about  the  coast  and  on  the  islands  farther 
north,  several  of  which  of  different  kinds  are  occa- 
sionally found  in  the  vicinity  of  Oonalaska,  two  of 
which  I  will  mention.  The  loon  or  diver  is  a  mag- 
nificent bird  found  about  St.  Matthew's  Island.  Its 
plumage  is  beautiful,  about  the  neck  it  is  shaded 
green  like  the  throat  of  a  humming  bird,  the  rest  of 
the  body  is  black  and  white.  The  "  snowy  owl,"  like 
the  ptarmigan,  dons  a  winter  robe  of  purest  white 
and  is  a  very  handsome  bird  and  very  ornamental 


COAL  HARBOR  AND  BELKOVSKY 


31 


when  stuffed  and  well  mounted.  Myriads  of  ducks  of 
many  kinds  fly  around  the  shores  of  these  islands  ; 
most  of  them  are  migratory  birds  and  are  only  found 
in  these  northern  waters  cluring  the  short  summer. 
The  lesser  awk  and  muir  or  gillemot  are  the  most 
plentiful  of  any  bird.  The  Arctic  turn  is  a  beauti- 
ful bird  found  at  St.  Michael's,  its  plumage  is  a  pale 
gray  with  deeper  shades  of  the  same  color,  and  its  dis- 
tinguishing feature  are  be  long  feathers  of  the  tail, 
which  make  it  an  exceedingly  graceful  bird.     Dr. 

C ,  at  Oonalaska,  had  quite  a  collection  which  he 

had  gathered  and  which  he  kindly  showed  me.  It 
was  from  this  source  I  received  the  most  of  my 
information  concerning  them. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Oonalaska  Island  abound  eagles 
— the  bald  eagle,  and  ravens  or  large  bl&ck  crows. 
Of  the  latter  there  are  quantities  about  Sitka.  I 
have  also  seen  the  eagle  there. 

In  speaking  of  birds  I  am  reminded  of  our  canary 
aboard  the  ship,  I  say  "  our  canary,"  though  in 

reality  it  belonged  to  Mr.  D ,  our  Chief  Engineer, 

but  on  board  ship  any  pet  seems  to  be  common 
property.  Every  once  in  a  while  he  sang  out  so 
cheerily  and  sweetly  we,  by  closing  our  oj^es,  almost 
felt  transported  back  to  our  own  dear  homes.  The 
song  of  a  canary  is  so  essentially  a  sweet,  homelike 
sound,  it  also  conveys  to  one  the  idea  of  a  happy 
home. 

On  our  way  to  Belkovsky  we  passed  between  the 
high  mountain  ridges  of  Illiasik  Pass.     To  our  right 


wmm 


32 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH 


was  the  volcano  of  Pavloff,  one  of  the  most  noted 
on  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Not  extinct,  but  still  smok- 
ing, though  it  was  my  misfortune  not  to  see  the  top 
owing  to  a  cloud  which  completely  enveloped  it.  ^n 
fact  almost  all  the  highest  peaks  were  thus  cut  off  from 
view.  Pavloff  is  about  six  thousand  feet  high.  Not 
far  from  it  is  a  village  called  Nikolaievsky.  We  did 
not  stop  there  but  kept  on  towards  Belkovsky.  In 
this  wide  pass,  which  is  about  ten  miles  across,  we 
saw  a  number  of  **  killers"  as  they  are  called  by  the 
sailors,  or  the  grampus.  They  eat  the  seal.  We 
could  see  their  sharp-pointed  fins  projecting  from 
the  tops  of  their  backs  as  they  sported  around  in  the 

water.     Dr.  P got  his  gun  and  tried  to  get  a 

shot  at  them,  but  they  did  not  stay  above  the 
water  long  enough  to  give  Mm  time  to  aim  at  them. 
Belkovsky — the  quaintest  little  place  in  the  world, 
or  so  it  looked  to  me  as  I  viewed  it  through  the 
glasses  from  the  deck  of  the  ship  when  we  stopped. 
It  was  not  so  much  so  when  we  were  fairly  in  it.  I 
could  not  but  think  as  I  looked  at  it  through  the 
glass,  of  the  children's  little  toy  villages  or  Noah's 
Ark,  which  as  every  one  remembers  always  has  a 
number  of  stiff  gayly  painted  little  houses,  probably 
for  Noah  and  his  family  to  live  in  after  they  landed 
on  Mt.  Ararat.  The  houses  at  Belkovsky  appeared 
just  such.  The  most  prominent  were  painted  blue 
with  red  roofs.  There  were  some  white  with  green 
roofs  and  yellow  frames  and  so  forth.  Over  the  one 
store  was  hoisted,  in  honor  of  our  arrival,  a  large 


a) 


</i 


u 


« 


u 


.^ 


wmm 


■■■i 


mmm 


wma 


32 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


} 


I        'i- 


was  the  volcano  of  }  avlofl.  oiio  of  the  most  i«,oto<i 
on  thf?  Aleutian  I:iian«iM  Sot  extinct,  but  still  smok- 
ing; though  It.  was  m)  misfortune  not  to  see  the  top 
owing  to  a  cloud  which  tjompletely  enveloped  it.  In 
fact  almost  all  the  high  ^i  peaksS  wore  thus  cut  oft  from 
view.  PaviofF i^  abou  six  thousan*!  feet  high,  Not 
far  from  it  is  a  \illage  ealied  Nikolaicvsky.  We  did 
not  stop  there  but  kep;  on  towards  Belkovsky.  in 
this  wide  pass,  which        ihont  ten  miles  across  wo 

'  m  they  are  called  by  the 


saw  a  number  of  "  kill- 
sailors,   or  the  grampu 
could  see  their  sharj)- 
the  tops  of  their  l>acks 
water.     Dr.  P jirot 


They  eat  the  seal.  We 
■M  tins  projecting  Irom 
•y  spf>rted  around  in  the 
g  '1.  u!id  tried  to  get  a 
id  not  stay  above  the 
!0a  Um^-  to  Aim  at  them, 
iitlie  place  in  the  world, 

I  \fi<?wed  it  through  the 


shot  at   them,   but    th^ 
water  long  enough  to  gi 

Belkovsky — the  quaitr 
or  so  it  looked  to  me  a- 
glasses  from  the  d(;ck  of  itm  ship  when  we  .-Htopped. 
It  was  not  so  much  80  wbi;4:i  we  wetu  fairly  in  it.  I 
could  not  but  think  as  }  looked  s^%  n  throsigh  the 
glass,  of  the  children's  Is  Hie  to;  viliag?as  or  Noah's 
Ark,  which  as  evc^ry  t^ne  remei»;Wo  always  has  a 
number  of  stiii  gayly  pth,  ;  ttie  houses,  probably 
for  Noah  and  his  famil>  t  ^  hvo  In  after  they  landed 
oti  Mt.  Ararat  Tha  houi»«?r^  ut  Belkovsky  appeared 
just  such.  rh<y  JMfmi  proifUaent  wero  painted  Idue 
with  red  loots.  Th«*r€»  Wi"**?  some  white  with  green 
roofs  and  yellow  fraincs  an  i  so  forth  Over  the  one 
store  was  hoisted,  va  hont>r  of  our  arrival,  a  large 


m 


< 
< 

tn 

U 
W 
< 

X 
u 


1/2 

I 


o 

W 


mm 


npp 


""^"^rn'm 


COAL  HARBOR  AND  BELKOVSKY 


S3 


United  States  flag.  It  seemed  to  be  equally  of  a  size 
with  some  of  the  houses  near  it,  as  it  spread  out  to 
the  breeze. 

We  "  lay  to/'  as  it  is  called  in  nautical  language, 
without  dropping  our  anchor,  for  there  is  no  good 
anchorage  there.  A  boat  was  lowered  and  the  doctor 
l^ientenant  W.,  my  husband  and  I  went  ashore. 
The  Rush  had  stopped  quite  a  distance  out  to  be  on 
the  safe  side,  for  the  year  previous  my  husband  had 
experienced  a  severe  blow  while  at  Belkovsky.  A 
*'  woolly  '*  or  a  sharp  gust  of  wind  came  up  very 
suddenly  and  with  such  violence  that  the  vessel  was 
nearly  lifted  bodily  out  of  the  water  and  overturned. 
Tlie  wind  shoots  down  the  mountain  sides  and  into 
the  water,  and  at  such  times  it  is  best  to  be  out  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  land. 

1 1  was  a  long  pull  for  the  men,  and  the  wind  blew 
very  fresh,  causing  quite  a  little  sea,  which  we  feared 
might  make  it  difficult  to  land.  H("  (  ver,  it  did  not 
prove  as  bad  as  we  had  apprehended.  The  boat  was 
pulled  up  as  far  as  possible  on  the  beach  and  one  of 
the  men  coolly  shouldered  me — which  proceeding 
by  that  time  had  become  a  matter  of  course — and 
set  me  down  on  dry  land. 

There  is  not  the  demonstrativeneas  and  curiosity 
exhibited  by  the  Aleutes  that  you  find  nearly  every- 
where else  among  Indians,  and  though  the  whole 
town  knew  of  our  advent  there  was  scarcely  a  soul 
in  sight.  We  walked  up  a  beaten  path  to  the  afore- 
said store,  the  center  of  the  village. 

CRDI8B  or  TRB  "RO8H."    8 


^ 


'"""  .1  Mi^^s^^i^^s^flBBHSS 


CHAPTER  V. 


BELKOVSKY — CONTINUED. 


IIeLKOVSKY  is  situated  at  the  base  of  a 
"J^  very  high  and  steep  hill  or  mountain  and  ^  ^ 
town  itself  seems  to  rest  upon  an  incline  of  fo 
five  degrees.  Our  whole  course  was  upwards.  They 
are  much  more  pretentious  at  Belkovsky  than  at 
Ounga,  it  is  a  larger  place  to  be  sure,  but  there  is  an 
air  of  thrift  and  neatness  entirely  lacking  in  the  lat- 
ter place.  This  neatness,  however,  applied  only  to 
the  store  and  its  surroundings,  and  was  due  to  the 

skillful  management  of  Mr.  C .  There  was  a  flight 

of  steps  leading  up  the  steepest  part  of  the  bank, 
and  as  we  neared  the  store  a  very  kindly  but  stupid 
looking  Aleute,  quite  neatly  dressed  in  our  style  of 
costume,  or  rather  the  dress  of  our  frontiersman, 
came  slowly  towards  us  and  said,  "  Me  chief ! " 
We  shook  hands  and  said  we  were  glad  to  see  him 
and  began  making  some  iiAquiries  of  him.  But 
*-me  chief"  was  about  as  far  as  he  could  get  with 
his  English. 

Near  by  was  his  neat  little  wooden  house,  on  one 
side  of  which  was  the  first  of  the  skin  boats  we  had 
seen.  It  rested  upon  two  wooden  props  and  was 
evidently  quite  new.  These  boats,  which  are  in 
general  use  among  the  Aleutes  and  Eskimos,   are 

(84) 


''^J'Pf/K' 


BELKOV!iKY— Continued 


called  bydarkas.  They  differ  from  all  other  Indian 
boats  as  well  as  those  of  other  Alaskan  tribes.  The 
boats  of  the  latter  are  open  and  hewn  out  of  trunks 
of  trees.  Necessarily,  as  there  is  no  large  timber 
found  on  the  islands,  the  Aleutes  had  to  adopt  another 
style.  A  light  frame  is  made  of  driftwood,  with  the 
skin  of  the  hair  seal  st'  otched  tightly  over  it,  and 
over  the  top  as  well.  According  to  the  length  and 
general  size  of  the  bydarka  there  are  one  or  two 
and  sometimes  three  openings  left  for  the  owners  to 
occupy.  Around  these  holes  is  fastened  an  open 
bag  of  skin  with  a  drawstring  around  the  top.  They 
dexterously  step  inio  this  mere  eggshell  and  draw- 
ing the  drawstring  up  tightly  around  their  bodies, 
are  by  this  means  completely  water  tight  and  are 
thus  also  guarded  against  shipping  any  seas. 

Sometimes  they  carry  an  extra  passenger  or  two 
who  are  stowed  away  "  between  decks,"  us  it  were. 
The  boat  is  rarely  any  deeper  than  two  feet  in  the 
middle.  A  friend  made  the  discovery  in  this  way: 
A  bmaii  bydarka  came  alongside  the  ship  he  was  on, 
containing  to  all  outward  appearances  but  one  occu- 
pant, who,  leaving  his  boat,  climbed  aboard.  Hap- 
pening to  glance  over  a  few  minutes  afterward  my 
friend  saw  a  second  figure  wriggling  itself  through  the 
hole  and  slowly  emerging  head  first,  at  length  attain- 
ing  full  size  it  sprang  out.  Shortly  a  second  head 
appeared  and  after  many  contortions  the  body  it 
belonged  to  succeeded  in  drawing  itself  to  a  more 
jiutural  posture.     My  friend  was  actually  alarmed 


86 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


ll 


for  fear  there  might  be  several  more  to  follow,  but 
was  relieved  on  that  score  by  the  three  soon  taking 
their  departure  as  they  came,  without  further 
developments.  In  such  air-tight  compartments  it  is 
hard  to  see  how  they  could  live  long.  I  have  been, 
told  a  man  in  a  single  boat  will  deliberately  turn 
completely  < '  er  and,  in  the  words  of  the  well-known 
song,  ''  bob  up  serenely  "  on  the  other  side. 

They  paddle  long  distances  in  these  bydarkas 
going  from  one  island  to  another,  often  as  many  as 
forty  or  fifty  miles.  The  paddle  is  short  with  a  blade 
at  each  end,  which  they  use  alternately  on  either 
side  and  with  it  also  balance  themselves.  The  larger 
and  more  pretentious  bydarkas  are  used  for  hunt- 
ing and  are  furnished  with  spears  and  extra  paddles, 
which  are  slid  under  strings  drawn  tightly  over  the 
top.  The  Aleutes  are  very  skillful  in  handling  the 
spear  and  use  it  in  hunting  the  seal  and  sea-otter. 

For  further  protection  the  men  wear  skin  coats. 
These  are  made  of  the  lining  of  bears'  entrails  and 
of  the  sea-lion  intestines  and  are  perfectly  imper- 
vious to  water.  They  are  very  light  and  comforta- 
ble ant*  are  called  kamlicas.  They  cost  about  five 
dollars,  and  are  so  expensive  from  the  great  care 
and  time  it  takes  to  make  them.  Thus  equipped  the 
Aleute  is  ready  for  much  danger  and  exposure  dur- 
ing fishing  and  hunting  the  seal  and  sea-otter. 
They  are  driven  on  these  expeditions  only  by  hun- 
ger, for  like  most  Indians  they  are  lazy.  The  seal 
is  their  main  standby,  they  put  it  to  a  thousand 


I 


BELKOVSKY— Continued 


97 


1 


I 


uses.  It  is  their  food  and  was  formerly  their  cloth- 
ing, li  furnishes  them  also  with  oil  for  greasing, 
as  a  light  and  as  fuel  in  winter. 

There  is  another  kind  of  skin  boat  formerly  used 
bv  tiie  natives  more,  Few  are  found  now ;  these 
are  called  "  bydaras."  They  are  much  larger  and 
open,  more  like  the  ordinary  boat  in  shape.  They 
are  large  enough  to  contain  eight  or  ten  men.  In 
these  members  of  different  tribes  went  about  visit- 
ing one  another,  in  gala  array,  the  latter  being 
v/hole  suits  of  the  fine  skins  of  which  their  kamli- 
cas  are  made,  trimmed  in  feathers.  The  Indians  make 
fac-similes  of  these  boats  and  their  inmates  in  imi- 
tation of  that  custom.     One  of  these  was  kindly 

presented  to  us  bj^  Col.  B ,  of  Oonalaska.    Were 

it  not  for  these  miniature  boats  all  knowledge  of 
this  custom  would  have  sunk  into  oblivion. 

After  this  long  digression  I  return  to  our  old 
chief,  who  followed  meek!  r  in  our  wake,  as  we  pro- 
ceeded farther.     Near  b's  store  Mr.  C ,  who  was 

the  happy  possessor  of  this,  the  center  of  every- 
thing of  the  village,  met  us  and  greeted  us  very 
cor  lially,  saying  pointedly  to  the  doctor, "  I  am  very 
glad  to  see  you,"  immediately  telling  us  his  little 
daughter  was  ill.     They  have  no  physician  at  Bel- 

kovsky  at  all,  and  but  a  year  previous  Mr.  C had, 

for  want  of  medical  assistance,  lost  a  little  infant 
eight  months  old. 

He  carried  the  doctor  off  with  him,  after  inviting 
US  all  to  his  house.     We  did  not  accept  immedi- 


38 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


ately;  but  went  to  the  store  and  looked  around 
there,  while  my  husband  delivered  mail,  made  vari- 
ous inquiries  and  transacted  other  business. 

Lieutenant  W ,  who  had  made  several  trips  to 

these  regions  before,  and  was  unmarried,  and  knew 
of  a  nice  young  Russian  lady  who  lived  in  Belkov- 
sky,  asked  me  to  accompany  him  to  call  on  her.  Her 
name,  as  do  most  of  the  Russian  names,  ended  in 
"off,"  but  her  first  name  was  Mattie,  a  combination 
very  pleasing,  but  odd,  for  Mattie  is  a  familiar  name 
to  me  in  my  own  family.  I  discovered  it  was  the 
custom  to  address  the  Russian  young  ladies  at  once 
by  their  first  names,  without  prefixing  the  *•  Miss," 
and  that  among  the  gentlemen  as  well  as  ladies. 

We  were  directed  to  her  house — literally  hers,  as  I 
will  explain  farther  on — by  a  bright  looking  girl,  as 
we  supposed,  but  who,  we  discovered  later,  was  a 
bride  of  three  weeks,  and  who  talked  very  good 
English,  having  lived  a  great  deal  in  San  Francisco, 
and  who  was  a  cousin  of  Mattie.  The  latter  was  not 
at  home  at  that  moment,  but  as  the  distances  were 
not  extraordinary,  even  from  one  end  of  the  village 
to  the  other,^  ihe  was  sent  for. 

The  cousin  ushered  us  into  a  neat  little  parlor, 
resembling,  for  all  the  world,  some  of  our  family 
sitting-rooms,  only  very  primly  arranged,  as  b^  t 
befitted  such  an  imposing  room  as  the  parlor.  The 
windows  were  neatly  curtained  with  white  muslin  ; 
the  furniture  was  covered  with  the  conventional 
unbleached  linen  covers,  bound  with  red  braid.    On 


VELKOVSKY— Continued 


39 


the  cover  of  one  of  the  chairs  was  a  great  rent, 
in  apologizing  for  which  afterwards,  Mattie  said 
occurred  the  night  of  her  cousin's  wedding,  and 
was  allowed  to  remain  there  in  remembrance  of  the 
happy  .occasion.  Human  nature  is  the  same  the 
world  over,  whether  Russian,  Aleute  or  American 
blood  runs  in  one's  veins. 

There  was  on  the  table  a  little  dish  with  wild 
flowers  in  it.  a  cabinet  photograph  or  two  beside  it 
resting  upon  small  brackets.  One  of  them  I  recog- 
nized, a  young  Russian,  with  a  very  sweet  tenor 
voice,  I  met  a  year  ago  in  Sitka  an'l  who,  I  found, 
was  Mattie's  cousin.  the  walls  were  hung  crayon 

portraits  of  the  family,  oe  pere,  la  mere,  et  In  fiUe. 
There  had  been  a  piano,  on  which  Mattio  was  quite 
a  proficient  performer,  but  which  now  stood  in  the 
hall  all  boxed  and  ready  to  be  sent  to  Sar  Fran- 
cisco, as  it  had  to  be  retuned  and  repairt  1  throughout. 

These  details  we  took  in  while  waiting  for  madem- 
oiselle to  appear.  The  cousin  told  us  Matti's  father 
had  built  the  Greek  church,  which  was  d  i  .:tly  oppo- 
site the  house. 

The  father  was  born  in  Sitka  and  was  a  Russian 
priest,  and  bad  in  one  way  and  another  amassed  a 
considerable  fortune,  one  method  being  the  follow- 
ing, as  published  in  the  San  Francisco  papers  :  He 
pretended  to  have  made  the  discovery  of  a  new 
saint,  an  image  of  whom  he  caused  to  be  placed  in 
the  church.  He  then  commanded  the  people  that 
many  and  rich  offerings  be  brought  to  its  shrine. 


40 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


These  offerings  the  shrewd  father  appropriated  him- 
self. He  was  not  miserly,  however,  and  disposed  of 
his  money  as  freely  as  he  got  it.  It  was  also  told 
that  his  wife  succeeded  in  taking,  unbeknown  to 
him,  a  little  at  a  time  and  carefully  stowing  away 
in  a  trunk  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars,  though 
he  found  it  before  his  death  and  disposed  of  it,  sum- 
marily, on  his  various  trips  to  San  Francisco. 

With  the  exception  of  the  one  at  St.  Paul  thia 
church  at  Belkovsky  was  the  largest  and  most  pre- 
tentious edifice  in  Al-tjutian  Alaska.  Mattie  was  now 
an  orphan,  her  Aleute  mother  being  also  dead.  She 
inherited  all  the  property  left,  the  house  and  a 
number  of  cows.  She  was  the  "  belle"  of  Aleutian 
Alaska,  I  gathered,  her  popularity  arising  from  three 
causes :  she  could  dance,  could  speak  good  English 
and  was  quite  intelligent,  which,  with  the  exception 
of  dancing,  could  by  no  means  be  said  of  all. 

Mattie  being  detained  we  had  time  to  visit  the 
church,  whose  exterior  was  not  so  artistic  as  that  of 
the  church  at  Sitka,  lacking  the  dome  and  steeple. 
The  roof  was  painted  green,  as  is  usual  with  the 
roofs  of  the  Greek  churches.  On  tht  top  and  center 
of  the  slanting  roof  was  perched  a  small  cupola 
with  two  ball-like  protuberances  on  either  end.  The 
body  of  the  church  was  painted  white,  with  yellow 
window  frames.  What  style  of  architecture  it  was 
I  was  unable  to  determine.  The  entrance  was  cov- 
ered with  a  portico,  above  which  hung  a  chime  of 
bells.  The  interior  was  painted  a  dark  blue,  relieved 


BELKOVSKY— CoH^mwer/ 


41 


with  trimmings  of  white,  very  new  and  fresh.  In 
its  general  outlines  it  was  almost  a  fac-simile  of  the 
main  part  of  the  Greek  church  at  Sitka,  and  judg- 
ing from  the  three  or  four  I  visited,  but  following 
out  a  plan  after  which  all  Greek  churches  are  built. 
At  the  end  opposite  the  door  there  is  a  platform, 
raised  slightly  above  the  level  of  the  floor,  across 
which  is  a  partition  extending  from  one  side  of  the 
church  to  the  other,  dividing  the  platform  into  two 
parts.  The  inner  part,  or  ''  Holy  of  Holies,"  no 
female  is  allowed  to  enter.  There  a^e  three  doors 
opening  into  this  inner  place,  but  the  middle  doors 
are  always  closed,  and  only  open  when  the  priest  is 
officiating.  He  stands  a  little  back  and  within  them 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  service,  with  his  back 
to  the  congregation,  and  dressed  in  his  gorgeous 
robes  of  silk,  brocaded  in  gold  and  silver.  On  these 
doors  is  expended  the  most  lavish  ornamentation. 
At  Sitka  the  doors  are  of  real  bronze  and  very 
beautiful.  At  Belkovsky  they  were  covered  with 
gilt  fretwork,  within  which  were  set  six  oil  paint- 
ings, the  heads  of  their  favorite  saints.  There  were 
other  paintings  on  either  side  of  the  doors,  such  as 
of  Christ  baptized  by  John  the  Baptist,  the  Lord's 
Supper,  etc.,  altogether  presenting  quite  a  gallery. 
Two  velvet  banners  heavily  embroidered  in  gold, 
were,  I  think,  tho  most  valuable  things  the  church 
contained.  There  were  a  few  silver  candelabra  and 
censers,  perhaps  imitation,  placed  here  and  there. 
There  are  many  points  of  resemblance  between 


42 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


the  Greek  and  Catholic  churches,  and  especially  in 
the  outward  ceremonies.  The  former  do  not  believe 
in  the  Pope,  however. 

The  deacon,  or  he  who  displayed  the  church  to 
us,  proved  to  be  brother  to  my  Sitka  friend  of  the 
tenor  voice. 

At  last,  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  me  to  tell 
this,  we  returned  to  the  house  where  Mattie  herself 
was  waiting  to  receive  us.     She  recognized  Lieut. 

W at  once,  and  having  met  my  husband  and 

eldest  little  boy  a  year  ago,  greeted  me  as  one  familiar 
to  her.  She  was  small,  dressed  neatly  in  a  calico 
dress  with  a  silk  handkerchief  folded  diagonally 
across  her  breast,  and  a  white  apron.  She  talked 
in  an  easy,  unembarrassed  way  and  was  very  natural 
in  her  manners. 

But  in  a  few  moments  we  had  to  excuse  ourselves. 
We  were  to  leave  Belkovsky  and  go  some  distance 
that  evening  to  a  safe  anchorage.  It  is  impossible 
with  the  poor  charts  and  inefficient  surveying 
made  among  these  islands  to  run  at  night. 

We  therefore  said  good-bye,  but  Mattie  said  she 
would  go  with  us,  and  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  she  threw  a  small  shawl  over  her  head  and 

accompanied  us,  saying, ''  Mrs.  C hopes  you  will 

come  and  call  on  her  and  her  little  sick  girl  before 

you  leave."     We  went  to  Mrs.  C 's  accordingly 

and  found  her  in  the  neatest  and  largest  house  in  the 
village.  We  were  requested  to  walk  upstairs  to  the 
bedroom  where   the  little   invalid  lay.      It  was  a 


-EELKOYSKY—ConUnued 


43 


cheery,  comfortable  room  ;  matting  on  the  floor,  a 
stove,  a  neat-looking  dressiug-case  in  a  corner,  and 
bright  paper  on  the  walls.  The  little  girl  was  sit- 
ting up  in  the  midst  of  blankets  and  pillows.  Mrs. 
C was  a  large  woman  with  a  bright,  fresh  com- 
plexion, and  a  sweet,  low  voice  ;  as  she  spoke  with  a 
foreign  accent  it  was  particularly  pleasing.    Mr.  and 

Mrs.  C are  Swedes.     Mr.  C came  out  to 

Alaska  unmarried  to  seek  his  fortune,  returning  in 
time  to  Sweden  for  his  bride,  whom  he  brought 
immediately  back  with  him.  There  they  had  lived 
for  six  years,  away  from  home  and  friends.  A  dreary 
home  enough,  or  so  it  appeared  to  me  on  the  cold, 
bleak  day  I  saw  it.  Belkovsky,  it  is  true,  com- 
manded a  magnificent  stretch  of  sea  and  mountains 
to  cheer  the  eye,  but  so  lonely  it  could  not  cheer  the 
heart. 

The  doctor  had  pronounced  the  little  girl's  ail- 
ment to  be  quinsy  sore  throat.  We  remained  there 
talking  till  summoned  by  my  husband,  at  the  termi- 
nation of  the  doctor's  visits  among  the  ailing,  of 
whom  there  were  at  least  a  dozen. 

Before   leaving,   however,   Mr.   C showed   us 

some  very  large  sea-otter  skins.  They  are  such  a 
lovely  rich  fur,  the  white-tipped  hairs  adding  much 
to  their  beauty. 

Mr.  C and  two  men  pulled  off  to  the  ship  for 

the  necessary  medicines,  after  which  we  sailed 
away,  feeling  we  had  had  a  very  pleasant  time 
indeed. 


44 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH' 


At  Belkovsky  the  condition  of  the  Aleutes  is  ter- 
rible, owing  to  that  frightful  disease,  scrofula,  being 
so  prevalent.  Dr.  Jackson,  of  Sitka,  speaking  of  his 
visit  there,  said  '*  He  had  not  the  face  to  ask  to  have 
missionaries  sent  there."  In  his  estimation,  as 
far  as  morality  and  sickness  were  concerned,  they 
appeared  to  be  worse  off  there  than  any  other  place 
he  visited  on  the  islands.  As  I  mentioned  before, 
there  is  no  doctor  in  Belkovsky,  neither  is  there  a 
schoolmaster,  nor  missionary.  A  filthy  looking  monk 
with  long  hair  was  the  arbiter  of  their  fates.  He 
went  to  Oonalaska  later,  on  his  way  back  to  Russia, 
and  a  good  riddance  he  was. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

king's  cove  and  east  anchor  harbor. 

'HS'e  arrived  at  our  anchorage  at 
^p  about  ten  o'clock  p.  m.,  at  which  time  it 
still  remained  light,  the  nights,  then  the  middle 
of  June,  being  only  two  or  three  hours  long. 
We  expected  to  start  again  for  Oonalaska  at  two 
A.  M.,  and  I  went  to  bed  in  the  firm  belief  that 
when  I  awoke  we  should  be  quite  a  distance  on  our 
way.  But  Uhomme  'propose  et  Dieu  dispose,  and  on 
awakening  at  six  a.  m.,  discovered  the  Rush  laying 
as  quietly  as  ever,  fast  at  her  anchorage.  Dressing 
quickly,  I  rushed  on  deck  to  demand  an  explanation. 
To  my  amazement,  my  husband  replied  the  barome- 
ter was  lower  than  he  had  ever  seen  it  before,  and  we 
were  to  await  further  developments  in  a  safe  place. 

Still  there  were  compensations  for  our  forced 
delay.  I  had  not  tired  of  the  wild  grandeur  of  the 
snow-covered  hills,  in  their  multifarious  forms,  and 
they  were  almost  enough  to  absorb  my  whole  atten- 
tion. 

At  breakfast,  Captain  S said,  "  I'm  going  out 

in  one  of  the  boats  to  take  some  soundings  about  the 
harbor."  This  was  King's  Harbor,  a  small  inden- 
tation on  the  westernmost  point  of  the  mainland 
of  Alaska,  projecting  into  Behring  Sea.    There  was 

(46) 


46 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "  RUSH  " 


u  unanimous  choruy  of  "  Me  too,  me  too,"  from 
myself  and  children.  As  my  husband  does  not  like  to 
refuse  us  anything  reasonable,  we  were  allowed  to 
go.  The  cutter,  one  of  the  small  boats,  had  already 
gone  out,  commanded  by  our  gigantic  but  good- 
natured  "  bo'sun  "  (boatswain),  and  a  crew  of  men, 
currying  with  them  the  seine  to  make  a  "  haul "  of 
salmon  if  they  could  get  them.  Soon  we  were 
under  way.  My  husband  commanded,  "  Heave  your 
lead  !"  and  soundings  were  made.  "  Quarter  less 
five  ! — mark  five  ! —  deep  six  ! — mark  seven  !-^ten 
fathoms  and  no  bottom,  sir !  "  sung  out  the  man  at 
the  lead,  showing  the  harbor  to  be  deep  enough  for 
good  anchorage  till  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
shore. 

We  rowed  around  in  a  semicircle,  and  finally  came 
upon  the  cutter,  where  the  men  were  hauling  the 
seine.  The  net  was  sixty-five  fathoms  long.  The 
men  rowed  out,  and  stretched  it  in  the  form  of  a 
semicircle,  open  towards  the  shore.  At  the  lines,  at 
either  end,  pulled  five  or  six  men.  They  had  just 
made  a  haul  as  we  came  up,  but  had  not  been  suc- 
cessful. In  several  attempts  they  had  caught  only 
about  a  dozen  fish — lovely  salmon  trout,  green  and 
silver. 

On  the  coast  of  Texas,  where  I  had  accompanied 
my  husband  on  similar  expeditions,  the  men,  in 
hauling  the  seine,  made  tremendous  catches  of 
fish  of  every  conceivable  kind,  once  or  twice  thus 
capturing  a  small  shark,  which  created  a  terrible 


KINO'S   COVE  AND   KAST   ANCHOR  HARBOR 


47 


excitement  among  both  fish  and  men,  therefore  I 
was  disappointed  in  this  poor  result,  especially  as  I 
had  been  told  the  wonderful  Alaska  fish  stories,  such 
as  there  being  so  many  in  the  streams  as  to  crowd 
each  other  out  on  the  banks,  etc.  It  was  too  earlv, 
the  wiseacres  said,  for  salmon. 

We  walked  around  the  pebbly  beach  for  a  dis- 
tance, and  picked  up  and  examined  the  iow  shells 
and  sea  mosses  strewn  about.  These  were  neither 
unusual  nor  uncommon.  There  is  nothing  of  con- 
sequence in  that  department  of  zoology  found  about 
the  Aleutian  Islands. 

When  tired  of  that,  we  noticed  that  in  a  little 
ravine  near  by,  the  snow  came  down  very  low  and 
quite  within  reach  We  thought  it  would  be  amus- 
ing to  make  a  snowball  or  two  in  the  middle  of  June. 
Therefore  at  my  husband's  orders  we  were  rowed 
over  near  it,  across  a  little  "bayou,"  as  they  would 
call  it  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  where  the  water  was  as 
clear  as  crystal  and  of  a  beautiful  green  color,  through 
which  we  could  see  the  bottom,  all  stones,  moss  and 
shells,  gleaming. white  below.  We  readily  climbed  to 
the  snow  and  my  boys — and  I  admit  it  I  also — had 
great  fun  with  it.  The  snow  was  frozen  hard  and 
being  a  steep  incline  made  a  delightful  coasting 
place.  Having  no  sleds  we  stood  on  our  feet  and  by 
bending  forward  a  little  slid  swiftly  down  that  way, 
at  a  most  exhilarating  speed. 
.  Underneath  ran  a  stream  of  clear  cold  water,  over 
which  the  snow  was  arched.     Where  here  and  there 


#^ 


48 


CRUISE  OP  THE   "RUSH" 


it  had  broken  through  we  could  look  down  and  see 
it  rushing  and  plunging  on  its  way  to  the  sea.  Far 
above  we  could  see  where  it  fell  over  the  rocks  in  a 
beautiful  cataract,  and  I  longed  to  reach  it,  but  it 
was  too  far  and  steep  a  climb  to  undertake  just  then. 

All  this  time  it  had  been  raining  incessantly,  but 
not  hard.  Enveloped  in  "  oilskins  "  and  "  sou'west- 
ers,"  we  did  not  mind  it.  Oiie  gets  used  to  rain 
among  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  near  Sitka.  I  found 
the  "  sou'wester,"  though  a  rather  masculine  head- 
gear, was  the  best  for  all  purposes  in  rainy  weather, 
and  on  occasions  such  as  those  I  did  not  care  much 
as  to  personal  appearance. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so  from  the  stream  was  a 
good  sized  '•'  barabara  "  or  underground  house,  built 
by  a    Mr.  King,  from  whose  vicinity  the  harbor 

derived  its  name  of  "  King's  Cove."     But  Mr.  K 

had  evidently  long  deserted  his  two-roomed  dwell- 
ing and  gone  to  seek  his  fortunes  elsewhere. 

We  were  now  ready  enough  for  lunch,  and  jump- 
ing into  our  boat,  hoisted  sail,  and  hastened  merrily 
back  to  our  brave  little  craft,  where  we  arrived  in 
due  time,  cold,  wet  and  hungry,  but  thoroughly 
convinced  "  it  was  lots  of  fun." 

The  evening  of  the  same  day  we  left  our  moorings 
to  test  the  weather  outside.  After  steaming  about 
ten  miles  and  encountering  very  strong  winds  and 
a  high  sea,  with  a  prospect  of  much  worse  beyond, 
we  ran  into  a  safe  little  harbor  called  East  Anchor 
Harbor,  near  Cape  Paukoff,  where  we  were  completely 


KING'S  COVK  AND  EAST  ANCHOR   HARBOR 


40 


sheltered  from  the  gale.  The  barometer  fluctuated 
but  little,  coiitinuing  very  low.  That  night  the 
wind  blew  a  perfect  hurricane  and  we  were  glad  to 
be  so  safe,  though  even  there  the  extra  anchor  had 
to  be  "  let  go." 

The  following  morning  the  weather  continued 
about  the  same,  and  there  was  little  to  be  done  all 
day  but  wait  patiently  till  the  blow  was  over.  The 
men  were  ordered  to  don  their  best  blue  clothes  and 

were  then  drilled  by  Lieut.  W in  the  first  small 

arm  tactics.  The  "  green  hands"  were  too  amusing, 
looking  so  awkward  and,  to  use  an  expressive  phrase, 
"  sheepish." 

I  read  most  of  the  day.     Capt.  S ,  the  doctor, 

and  one  or  two  others  went  ashore  to  prospect. 
They  found  some  sponges  on  the  shore,  which  the 
doctor  said  came  in  very  nicely  for  any  unlooked- 
for  surgical  operation  he  might  have  to  perform,  as 
his  stock  was  small. 

They  also  found  several  varieties  of  wild-flowers 
new  to  me,  though  they  were  not  then  nearly  so 
plentiful  as  later  in  the  summer.  The  walking  over 
the  hills  is  quite  difficult  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
as  the  ground  is  covered  with  old  growths  of  grass, 
perhaps  a  foot  or  two  deep,  into  which  the  feet  sink 
so  far  walking  grows  very  tiresome. 

The  second  day  dawned  and  still  the  wind  had  not 
perceptibly  abated.  It  was  far  better  to  remain  in 
a  good  snug  harbor  than  to  brave  the  storm  outside^ 

CBmsB  OF  THX  "  Rush."   4 


50 


CRUISE  OF  THE  «'RUSH" 


particularly  as  Iho  wind  was  "  dead  ahead  "  on  our 
course  towards  Oonalaska. 

I  begged  permission  to  go  ashore  ;  my  request 
was  granted;  a  boat  lowered  and  the  family  started, 
accompanied  by  our  doctor,  who  vis  something  of 
a  "  Nimrod,"  and  who  wanted  to  try  his  luck  with 
gun  and  rod.  Therp  was  little  to  shoot,  but  a  trout 
stream  was  not  far  away. 

It  was  difficult  landing,  for  the  cide  was  out,  and 
the  rocks,  now  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  were 
covered  with  the  slimy  seaweed,  so  that  walking  on 
them  without  slipping  was  almost  an  impossibility. 
The  boat  grounded  at  least  ten  yards  from  the  beach 
and  we  had  a  difficult  time  in  making  our  way  to 
dry  land.  As  we  were  in  no  hurry  we  haii  ample 
time  to  study  the  beautiful  viev/  spread  out  before 
us.  The  point  of  land  sheltering  us  from  the  gale 
was  an  abrupt  hill  cutting  the  sea  sharply  like  a 
wedge.  This  was  Cape  Pankoff.  Running  back, 
the  land  formed  almost  three-fourths  of  a  circle, 
bounded  by  the  soft  outline  of  the  hills,  which  here 
were  loss  high  and  rugged  than  the  greater  part  of 
the  land  we  had  seen.  It  had  stopped  raining  a 
little,  and  only  a  soft  mist  spread  veil-like  over  the 
landscape.  Far  back  we  could  see  through  its 
transparent  curtain  bolder,  loftier  peaks,  covered 
with  snow.  Our  little  vessel,  as  she  lay  in  the  har- 
bor, looked  lonely  in  that  vast,  silent  nature,  so  for- 
bidding, so  chilling  in  aspect.  She  seemed  a  pleasing 
refuge  in  my  eyes  ;  the  idea  of  living  about  here 


1 


KING'S  COVE  AND  EAST  ANCHOR  HARBOR 


51 


made  me  shudder ;  it  seemed  a  vast  tomb,  over 
which  I  could  not  exult  as  Bryant  does  in  his 
"  Thanator>sis  : " 

"The  hills,  rock-ribbed  and  ancient  as  the  sun,  etc., 
Are  but  the  solemn  decorations  all 
Of  the  great  tomb  of  man." 

Arriving  at  the  stream  I  determined  to  try  my 
luck  also  at  trout-fishing.  We  each  sought  what  we 
considered  the  most  likely  little  hollow  the  trout 
would  select,  and  quietly  bent  all  our  attention  to 
fishing. 

Luck  was  with  me  at  first,  but  after  having  caught 
five  very  small  trout  both  luck  and  patience  left  me, 
and,  surrendering  hook  and  line  to  one  of  my  little 
boys,  I  betook  myself  to  the  hills  to  hunt  for  wild- 
flowers.  To  my  selfish  satisfaction  the  doctor  also 
caught  only  five,  which,  on  our  arrival  at  the  ship, 
he  gallantly  presented  to  me.  They  proved  an  accept- 
able addition  to  our  menu  at  lunch. 

Near  the  stream  we  found  two  or  three  ''  baraba- 
ras,"  which'  we  exai  ined  closely.  The  door  or 
entrance  to  them  is  always  low,  -he  floor  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground  two  or  more  feet.  One 
has  to  stoop  to  enter.  They  are  very  warm,  but 
without  means  of  ventilation.  In  these  we  were  told 
some  hunters  spent  part  of  t)ieir  time  when  hunt- 
ing deer,  a  few  being  found  among  the  hills,  on  the 
peninsula.  The  barabaras  inside  resemble  an  ordi- 
nary  hut,  floor,  walls  and  ceiling  being  of  wood, 
'^he  most  pretentious  have  a  window  or  two  set  in 


NMWMIhMMiHWii 


52 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


the  front  of  them.  They  are  usually  dug  out  of  the 
side  of  a  hill.  Those  that  are  not,  when  nearing 
them  from  any  other  side  but  the  front,  look  simply 
like  mounds  of  earth,  being  entirely  covered  with 
it.  This  is  usually  grown  over  with  grass,  inter- 
spersed with  wild-flowers,  as  is  the  surrounding 
earth.  Those  built  on  level  ground  are  more  deeply 
excavated,  and  one  has  to  descend  sometimes  sev- 
eral feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  on  enter- 
ing. They  are  often  so  low  inside  that  it  is  impossible 
to  stand  erect. 

The  time  at  Oonalaska  is  three  hours  later  than 
at  San  Francisco,  and  six  hours  later  than  at  New 
York  city,  making  San  Francisco  the  centor  of  the 
United  States,  Alaska  being  part,  properly  speaking. 
This  is  a  new  idea,  for  few  realize  the  real  geograph- 
ical position  of  Alaska.  In  that  latitude  the  daylight 
in  midbummer  lasts  till  nearly  midnight;  light  comes 
again  at  about  two.  In  midwinter  lights  have  to  be 
lit  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.  and  darkness  lasts  till  eight 
or  nine  a.  m. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


OONALASKA. 

Ck  T  DAYBREAK,  Sunday  morning,  the  weather 
^1^  having  become  better  and  the  barometer 
risen  a  little,  we  weighed  anchor  and  started  towards 
Oonalaska,  or  Iliuliuk,  as  the  Russians  call  it. 
Fortunately  for  us  the  sea  was  not  as  rough  as 
we  had  anticipated,  yet  the  wind  was  ahead  and  the 
ship  pitched  and  tossed  in  all  directions  as  we 
breasted  the  seas,  giving  to  the  vessel  a  most  uncom- 
fortable and  disagreeable  motion.  But  we  were 
bound,  at  last,  to  this  the  **  metropolis"  of  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands,  Oonalaska,  and  therefore  submitted 
cheerfully. 

Soon  we  were  in  Oonimak  Pass,  which  connects 
the  Pacific  Ocean  with  the  Behring  Sea.  It  is  about 
ten  miles  broad,  so  there  was  not  much  certainty  of 
smooth  water,  as  in  other  and  narrower  passes.  Very 
much  to  my  regret  the^nagnificent  volcano, "  SLishal- 
din,"  on  the  island  of  Oonimak,  was  completely 
enveloped  in  fog.  This  volcano  is  the  most  impos- 
ing and  highest  of  the  mountains  on  the  Aleutian 
Islands  and  is  over  nine  thousand  feet  high.  We 
were  rewarded  to  some  extent  by  the  view  of  several 
very  pretty  waterfalls,  caused  by  the  melting  snow, 
coursing  down  the  sides  of  the  hills,  at  one  moment 

(53) 


mmm 


M 


CUmSE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


a  thin  line  of  silver,  then,  as  the  wind  caught  it, 
shaking  it  out  into  a  silvery  veil  of  spray.  With  the 
sun  shining  the  scenery  must  be  surpassingly  beau- 
tiful. 

We  neared  Akutan  Island,  on  which  the  volcano 
of  Akutan  is  situated.  I  could  have  indulged  in  a 
few  tears  when,  as  we  came  opposite  an  opening 
through  which  the  volcano  on  a  clear  day  is  plainly 
visible,  we  beheld  a  solid  curtain  of  fog  shutting 
out  every  vestige  of  the  mountain.  But  the  hope  still 
lingered  within  me  of  seeing  it  on  our  homeward 
journey.  It  is  not  often  that  these  mountains  are  free 
from  fog.     Nature  seems  jealous  of  their  grandeur. 

Flocks  of  muir  or  gillemot,  the  first  we  had  seen, 
floated  on  the  waves,  till  approaching  them  too  near, 
they  simultaneously  rose  and  flew  in  a  horizontal  line 
over  the  wa^er  far  ahead,  and  then  alighted  again, 
preceding  us  thus  a  great  distance,  displaying  in 
their  flight  their  snow-white  breasts,  in  strong  con- 
trast to  the  velvety  blackness  of  their  rapidly  flutter- 
ing wings.  These  birds  are  very  numerous  about 
the  islands,  and  lay  quite  a  large  and  very  pretty 
egg.  These  are  of  diflFerent  colors,  some  white, 
others  light  green,  dark  green,  and  light  brown,  all 
spotted  in  a  curious  way  with  black  and  dark 
brown  spots,  so  as  to  appear  artificially  done.  They 
are  a  pretty  pear  shape. 

At  six  o'clock  p.  M.  we  still  had  thirty-four  miles 
to  go  to  reach  Oonalaska.  It  would  therefore  be 
near   eleven  before   we   arrived.     At  that  time  it 


OONALASKA 


66 


would  be  about  dark  so  we  could  see  nothing. 
Reflecting  that  there  were  two  whole  months  before 
me  I  expected  to  spend  in  Oonalaska,  and  having 
overcome  the  wild  impatience  of  extreme  youth,  I 
betook  myself  to  bed,  "  to  sleep,  perchance  to  dream" 
till  next  morning,  when  there  would  be  leisure  to 
view  the  surroundings. 

However,  when  we  came  to  anchor,  the  sudden 
cessation  of  all  motion  caused  me  to  awak?n.  I 
restrained  my  natural  impulse  to  go  on  deck,  and 
dosed  off,  to  be  re-awakened  at  three  a.  m.  bv  little 
Emma,  who,  childlike,  wanted  to  "  see"  as  soon  as 
possible.  A  few  minutes  more  and  I  was  thoroughly 
aroused  by  the  news  that  the  United  States  naval 
steamer  Thetis,  directly  from  Sitka,  had  come  in 
shortly  after  the  Rush  and  anchored  near  us.  At 
this  time  it  was  already  broad  daylight.  The  clock 
crept  slowly  along,  pointing  an  unconscionably  long 
time  at  four,  five  and  six — too  early  for  civilized  and 
ancient  people  like  myself  to  think  of  arising.  Half- 
past  six,  and  my  little  boys  began  to  stir.  At  last  I 
might  without  impropriety  get  up,  dress  and  go  on 
deck.  It  was  the  work  of  but  a  few  moments.  Such  a 
pretty,  peaceful  scene  met  my  view.  Was  this  quiet, 
land-locked,  cosy  little  harbor  really  so  far  away 
from  1.11  outward  communication  with  the  civilized 
world?  Although  it  was  June,  the  hills  were  bare, 
and  but  jusc  turning  green — with  a  background 
of  snow-covered  peaks — and  Oonalaska  itself  was 
but  a  little  village,  yet  there  were  several  vessels  in 


VMiffiipi 


66 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


port,  and  the  Thetis  was  alongside  of  us,  as  she  had 
been  not  long  before  in  San  Francisco.  All  was  life 
and  bustle.  The  flags  were  unfurling  themselves  to 
the  wind,  and  every  one  was  talking  and  laughing  in 
animated  tones.  Oonalaska  was  that  day  awaking 
from  its  long  winter  night  of  sleep  and  inactivity. 
A  pleasant  sight,  truly,  and  one  that  will  long  remain 
in  my  mind. 

The  water  was  so  calm  it  mirrored  in  its  depths 
the  green  hills  and  snowy  mountains,  causing  the 
harbor  to  look  less  large  than  its  actual  size  and  giv- 
ing it  the  appearance  of  a  basin,  it  was  so  round, 
deepest  in  the  middle.  The  harbor  is  an  excellent 
one,  affording  shelter  to  the  largest  ships,  notwith- 
standing its  diminutive  size. 

Moored  at  a  buoy  a  short  distance  from  shore  lay 
a  whale-ship,  owned  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  but 
just  returned  from  a  disastrous  voyage  in  the  Arctic, 
in  quest  of  whales.  She  had  been  crushed  by  the 
ice,  and  only  by  a  miracle  preserved  long  enough  to 
be  brought  to  Oonalaska.  There  was  some  uncer- 
tainty as  to  what  course  to  pursue  in  regard  to  her  ; 
whether  to  attempt  to  repair  her  for  another  cruise 
or  abandon  her  altogether. 

Moored  at  the  dock  were  the  St.  Paul  and  Dorat 
the  Alaska  Commercial  company's  steamers,  which 
carry  freight  from  San  Francisco  to  all  ports  on  the 
islands  in  which  the  company  is  interested.  They 
are  laid  up  all  winter  in  Oakland  Creek,  California, 
running  only  during  the  summer  months. 


^^ 


■PWP 


OONALASKA 


57 


A  bark,  which  we  had  seen  the  previous  evening, 
was  on  her  way,  laden  with  coal,  and  was  expected  in 
every  minute.  The  revenue  steamer  Bear,  which 
was  to  have  followed  us  in  a  few  days  from  San 
Francisco,  was  also  expected,  and  the  sieaiaeT  Bertha. 
No  wonder  Oonalaska  was  in  an  unusual  state  of 
excitement.  It  was  not  often  so  many  vessels  arrived 
in  this  port  at  once. 

As  soon  as  practicable  the  Rush  was  moored  along- 
side the  St.  Paul,  and  nearer  the  wharf  to  be  at 
hand  for  coaling  the  next  day.  Oonalaska  is  the 
chief  and  only  coaling  station  on  the  islands.  Steam- 
ers cruising  in  the  Behring  Sea,  and  those  on  their 
way  to  and  from  the  Arctic,  procure  their  coal  there. 

From  the  wharf  to  the  company's  house  there  was 
a  good  plank  walk,  an  extravagant  luxury  unknown 
on  most  of  the  islands.  It  was  at  this  house  I  was 
promised,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company,  a  pleasant  resting-place  for  the 
two  months  my  husband  would  be  cruising  in  the 
sea.  Naturally  I  looked  quizzically  at  it,  its  outward 
appearance  suggested  neatness  and  comfort  inside, 
and  I  was  not  disappointed. 

The  company's  house,  called  in  Russian  the  ''bull 
showy  dome,"  according  to  the  pronunciation,  or 
**  big  house,"  was  the  nucleus  of  the  village,  about 
which  centered  all  the  interest  of  the  place,  at  least 
in  the  estimation  of  all  visitors.  A  tall  flag-pole  was 
reared  in  front,  and  at  its  base,  pointing  seaward, 
stood   five  little   old  Russian  guns.     An   inclosed 


68 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


space  near  by  was  proclaimed  a  croquet  ground, 
to  the  left  and  nearest  the  wharf  was  a  cunning 
little  house,  a  billiard  parlor  ;  on  the  right,  the  store 
of  the  village.  On  either  side  beyond  these  were  rows 
of  small  four-roomed  dwellings,  built  by  the  company 
and  occupied  by  natives.  They  looked  neat  and 
comfortable  from  the  outside.  They  were  painted 
dark  red,  with  now  and  then  u  white  one.  The 
most  of  them  were  divided  so  as  to  accommodate 
two  families.  Besides  these  there  were  three  or  four 
more  large  and  elaborate  houses,  belonging  to  as 
many  Russian  or  Creole  families.  Creole  is  a 
name  by  which  those  of  mixed  Russian  and  Aleute 
blood  are  called.  The  Russian  priest  and  his  fam- 
ily, and  the  widow  and  d  nghter  of  the  late  priest,, 
formed  the  elite. 

The  little  Greek  church,  more  insignificant^and 
smaller  than  the  one  we  visited  at  Belkpvsky,  stands 
among  the  houses  and  barabaras,  of  the  latter  of 
which  there  are  a  few  still  left.  The  church  has  a 
blue  cupola,  a  green  roof  and  yellow  walls,  an  odd 
feature  in  the  landscape,  yet  not  so  shockingly 
homely  as  one  might  imagine  from  the  description. 
Near  the  wharf,  and  grouped  around  it,  are  the 
warehouses  belonging  to  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company,  and  one  to  the  Government,  in  which  was 
stored  the  coal  for  the  use  of  the  men-of-war  and 
revenue  cutters. 

But  my  eye  had  simply  taken  in  these  details  at 


OONALASKA 


59 


a  cursory  glance.  I  was  to  learn  more  minutely 
all  about  Oonalaska  later. 

Soon  after  breakfast  Mr.  N came  aboard  and 

greeted  us  very  cordially.  I  had  met  him  a  year 
before  in  Oakland.  He  invited  us  ashore  and  we 
accepted  his  invitation  without  delay. 

Mr.  N had  delightful  rooms  on  the  first  floor 

of  the  "  big  house."  Several  paintings  by  great 
masters  hung  on  the  walls ;  one  by  Vereshagin, 
*'  Blessing  the  Neva,"  a  water  color,  was  exquisite, 
and  in  this  far-away  once  offspring  of  Russia 
seemed  appropriate. 

I  understood  the  table  was  all  that  could  be  desired, 
allowing  for  the  fact  we  were  over  two  thousand 
miles  from  a  market.  If  we  had  not  fresh  vegeta- 
bles we  had  a  good  substitute,  in  my  opinion,  plenty 
of  milk  and  cream,  and,  of  course,  deliciously  fresh 
butter,  for  there  were  a  number  of  cows,  and  almost 
more  milk  than  could  be  used. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


"  THETIS 


» 


-"kraysar"- 


-"  BEAR." 


I  WO  OR  THREE  DAYS  ,>assed  quietly,  but 
^  pleasantly,  while  we  waited  for  the  Bear  to 
arrive,  in  calling  and  receiving  calls  from  the 
different  officers  and  captains  of  the  ships  in  port, 
at  which  times  I  was  more  than  entertained  with 
accounts  of  their  world-wide  experiences. 

Captain  S ,   of   the  Thetis,  related  some    of 

his  adventures  on  the  islands  of  the  south  Pacific. 
He  also  told  some  amusing  incidents  connected  with 
the  selection  of  the  navy-yard  site  on  Puget  Sound, 
a  duty  to  which  he  was  detailed  previous  to  his 
coming  north,  which,  related  very  humorously  in 
his  easy  and  happy  style,  were  very  entertaining. 
Seattle,  Tacoma  and  Port  Townsend  were  clamorous 
for  the  distinction,  without  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  first  requisite  pertaining  to  a  naval  station. 
The  recommendations  by  the  different  towns  as  to 
their  particular  suitability  were  especially  funny. 

One  of  our  engineers,  Mr.  B ,  and  Captain 

S met  in  Oonalaska,  that  far-northern  port,  after 

an  interval  of  twenty  years,  having,  when  they  last 
saw  each  other,  been  together  aboard  a  man-of-war 
stationed  at  Honolulu,  on  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
They  recognized  one  another  immediately,  and  after- 

(60) 


"THETIS  "— "  KRAYSAR  *'— "  BEAR  " 


61 


wards  recalled  together  many  an  incident  which  then 
happened. 

One  evening  Mr.  N invited  my  husband  and 

myself  to  his  rooms,  where  were  assembled  Captain 

S and  a  number  of  the  officers  of  the   Thetis 

besides  one  or  two  other  gentlemen.  It  was  a  novel 
position  for  me,  one  lady  among  so  many  of  the 
opposite  sex.  I  was  flattered  so  much  by  their  kind 
attentions  that  I  felt  that  for  once  in  my  life  I  had 
experienced  what  it  was  to  be  a  "  belle."  I  would 
not  allow  myself  to  reflect  that  it  was  because  I  was 
the  only  lady  present. 

We  were  entertained  by  the  sweet  strains  of  a 
zither,  handled  in  a  masterly  manner  by  Paymaster 
L ,  of  the  Thetis.  Mr.  N played  an  exten- 
sive repertoire  from  Beethoven's  Sonatas  to  Skid- 
more  Guards,  on  the  "  organette,7  which  instrument 
is  an  improvement  on  a  hurdjj^urdy,  but  requires 
not  much  more  art  in  playing,  though  really  ren- 
dered well  by  Mr.  N 's  taste  in  using  the  stops 

for  crescendo  and  diminuendo,  forte  and  piano,  in 
their  proper  places.  Songs  of  every  description 
were  sung — choice  ones,  such  as  "  McCarty,"  "  Mush 
Mush,"  "  Give  Us  Some  Time  to  Blow  the  Men 
Down,"  the  latter  a  *  shanty"  peculiar  to  shipboard 
and  really  very  effective  with  windlass  accompani- 
ment, as  Captain  S described  it  to  me.  Usually 

singing  by  the  men  is  not  allowed  on  board  a  man- 
of-war,  only  on  merchant  ships,  yet  occasionally,  to 
cheer  the  men  in  some  difficult  duty,  permission  is 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


mi 


given  ;  often  they  ask  for  it.  These  songs  were  ren- 
dered with  great  spirit,  accompanied  by  the  zither  ; 

the  chorus  was  conducted  by  Mr.  N ,  with  his 

cane  as  a  baton,  with  the  handle  of  which  ho  brought 
any  inattentive  ones  to  order  by  hooking  it  around 
their  necks.  We  retired  early  from  the  evening's 
festivities,  realizing  it  was  not  merely  in  the  society 
of  San  Francisco  we  could  have  a  good  time. 

Finally  my  husband  became  impatient  at  the  non- 
arrival  of  the  Bear,  and  determined  to  start  north 
to  the  Seal  Islands  immediately.  We  had  already 
been  in  port  a  week,  lacking  oiie  day.  She  was  due 
the  20th  of  June.  He  set  Saturday,  seven  a.  m.,  for 
sailing  day.  Saturday  dawned,  and  almost  with 
the  first  gleams  of  light  a  sail  appeared  in  the 
distance.  As  it  neared  us  we  discovered  it  was  a 
small  schooner ;  but  on  arriving  within  hailing 
distance  she  reported  a  la^ge  steamer  nearing  port. 
Naturally  we  supposed  her  the  long  expected  Bear, 
and  my  husband  put  off  his  time  of  starting,  being 
also  deterred  by  the  accounts  the  captain  of  the 
schooner  brought  of  rough  weather  and  a  heavy 
sea  outside. 

Shortly  afterward  the  vessel  steamed  in,  not  the 
Bear,  but  a  Russian  man-of-war,  the  Kray^sar,  quite 
unexpectedly  appeared.     The  Russians,  as  soon  as 

their  national  flag  was  made  out,  evinced  quite  a 
state  of  excitement,  for  they  expected  the  bishop 
was  aboard,  as  news  of  his  coming  had  reached  them 


*M 


"  THETIS  "— "  KRAY8AR  "— "  BEAR  " 


some  time  before.  They  ran  in  and  out  of  their 
houses  not  knowing  exactly  what  to  do  first. 

As  soon  as  possible  a  boat  put  off  from  the  Rush 
and  one  from  the  Thetis,  containing  each  an  officer 
in  full  uniform,  to  make  their  official  calls,  and  on 
their  return  brought  the  news  that  the  bishop  was 
not  aboard,  which  soon  spread  among  the  popula- 
tion, bringing  relief  to  the  agitated  heart  of  the 
priest,  for  the  present  bishop  was  not  a  favorite,  and 
his  coming  much  dreaded.  It  seems  ho  had  lost  all 
his  property  by  a  fire  in  the  Greek  church  at  San 
Francisco  ;  his  robes  of  office,  and  such  things,  rob- 
bed of  which  the  bishop  could  not  officiate  with 
fitting  solemnity  in  the  pompous  ceremonies  as 
father  of  the  church,  conducted  always  by  him 
when  on  his  pastoral  visits.  He  had  therefore  given 
up  his  trip. 

The  Russiam  steamer  belonging  to  the  Asiatic 
squadron  was  making  a  cruise  in  the  sea,  apparently 
with  no  especial  object,  and  was  bound  for  the  Com- 
mander Islands,  and  had  come  to  Oonalaska  to 
procure  coal.  Her  captain  reported  the  fact  that 
H.  M.  S.  Siviftsure  and  perhaps  the  Icarus  would  be  in 
the  Behring  Sea  during  the  summer,  having  just  left 
them  at  Victoria,  B.  C.  We  wondered  if  with  hos- 
tile intentions,  what  would  become  of  the  little  Rush, 
which,  as  one  of  our  officers  remarked,  'the  Swift- 
sure  could  hoist  aboard  for  a  steam  launch  with 
ease."  Three  lit!le  insignificant  sealing-schooners 
lay  hauled  up  on  the  beach   not  far  away,  trophies 


mmmmm 


64 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH 


[^:iM 


of  seizures  made  a  year  or  two  previous,  and  was  it 
the3^  and  such  as  they,  that  created  all  this  corre- 
spondence between  two  such  great  nations  as  Eng- 
land and  the  United  States  ?  The  rumor  was,  that 
the  English  ships  were  coming  into  the  sea  to  protect 
their  sealers. 

A  Russian  officer  soon  after  called  aboard  the  Rush 
io  return  our  officer's  call.  To  our  dismay  he  spoke 
not  a  word  of  English.  We  were  not  linguists 
aboard  the  ship.  He  spoke  French  and  German  ; 
Germ. an  was  as  familiar  to  my  husband  and  I  as 
Sanscrit  ;  and  French,  what  person  taught  French 
by  an  American  teacher  when  young,  for  a  year  or 
two,  after  an  interval  of  ten  or  more  years  of  abso- 
lutely no  practice,  can  speak  it  ?  Such  was  our  case. 
After  having  launched  bravely  off  with  my  one  avail- 
able phrase,  "  Je  le  comprends  un  pen,  mais  je  ne  le 
parlo  pas,"  learned  by  heart  out  of  my  first  French 
book,!  was  so  overcome  by  the  relief  expressed  on  his 
countenance,  and  the  immediate  torrent  of  French 
he  deluged  me  with,  I  remained  open  mouthed  and 
dumb.  I  smiled  a  sickly  smile,  and  appealed  to 
my  husband  in  despair ;  but  he  answered  not  a 
word,  for  he  spoke  "  little  German  and  less  French," 
and  sat  stonily  staring  at  us  both.  But  at  length  a 
bright  idea  occurring  to  him,  he  said,  "Excuse  me," 
and  after  disappearing  a  moment,  soon  returned, 
followed  by  one  of  our  quartermasters,  a  German, 
who  spoko  good  English.     He  acted  rs  interpreter. 


]' 


■"iwPFP'Wf' 


"THETIS  "— "  KRAYSAR  "— "  BEAR  " 


65 


and  we  were  soon  able  to  obtain  some  news  my  hus- 
band desired  to  learn  ^rom  him. 

At  about  seven  that  evening  we  heard  the  cry  of 
"  Steamer  !"  "  steamer  !  !"  from  the  natives,  and 
sure  enough,  away  out  on  the  horizon,  at  the  entrance 
to  the  harbor,  was  a  small  speck,  from  which  issued 
soft  wreaths  of  smoke,  and  which  gradually  grew  in 
size  as  it  approached.  That  surely  was  the  Bear. 
An  hour  after,  she  lay  at  anchor,  and  we  had  boarded 
her  and  received  what  mail  she  brought — half-a- 
dozen  letters,  not  one  of  which  was  for  me,  but  a 
number  of  papers  containing  news  of  the  dreadful 
disaster  at  Johnstown,  Penn.,  wherein  so  many 
thousands  lost  their  lives.  It  was  appalling,  coming 
to  us,  as  it  did,  all  at  once.  Besides  that,  teh  large 
fire  at  Seattle  ;  and  the  floods  so  general  in  the  East: 
at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Washington  City,  where 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  was  vhree  feet  under  water. 
It  seemed  so  much  had  happened  during  the  three 
weeks  we  had  not  heard  a  word  of  what  was  tran- 
spiring in  our  own  dear  native  land.  For  we 
appeared  to  be  in  a  foreign  land  while  in  Oonalaska, 
where  only  Russian  and  Aleute  were  spoken,  except 
by  those  that  visit  it  in  ships  now  and  then,  and 
the  four  or  five  white  men  who  live  there  perma- 
nently. 

Captain  H of  the  Bear  reported  a  very  rough 

passage.  It  was  especially  so  for  the  Bear,  laden  as 
she  was,  with  a  load,  the  most  of  which  being  on 
deck  made  her  roll  very  deeply  ;  at  times  shipping 

Cruise  OF  THK  "Rush."    5 


66 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


great  seas,  that  poured  down  into  the  wardroom,  or 
officers'  quarters,  making  things  uncomfortable  for 
them  generally. 

The  Bear  was  bound  for  Point  Barrow,  the  most 
northerly  point  of  Alaska.  She  had  on  board  the 
materials  with  which  to  construct  a  house,  to  be  put 
up  there  as  a  refuge  for  shipwrecked  sailors.  These 
were  so  put  together  in  sections,  after  a  prearranged 
plan,  as  to  obviate  the  necessitj''  for  an  architect, 
other  than  one  of  the  officers,  who  was  to  superin- 
tend its  erection. 

The  Thetis  having  received  her  necessary  instruc- 
tions from  Washington,  brought  by  the  Bear,  and 
for  which  she  had  been  waiting,  prepared  to  sail 
Monday,  June  23d,  at  seven  o'clock  a.  m.  The  Rush 
also  left  at  the  same  hour  for  the  Seal  Islands,  and  the 
two  ships  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  almost  abreast.  The 
Thetis  was  bound  in  the  same  direction  on  her  way 
north  to  the  Arctic,  where  she  was  to  assist  the  Bear  in 
the  rescuing  of  and  protecting  the  "  whalers,"  touch- 
ing first  at  St.  Paul,  then  at  St.  Michael's,  and  so  on  at 
other  ports,  en  route  to  Port  Clarence,  this  side  of 
Behring  Straits,  where  she  expected  to  await  the 
Bear,  whicL  was  to  follow  her  in  a  few  days.  Here, 
too,  was  to  meet  her  a  collier  from  San  Francisco 
with  an  extra  supply  of  coal. 


l\ 


CHAPTER   IX. 


OONALASKA   HAPPENINGS. 

/tlN  SUNDAY  MORNING,  as  the  bells  chimed 
^^  out  the  hour  for  services  at  the  little  Greek 
church,  passing  under  my  room  windows  appeared 
several  Russian  officers  in  full  uniform,  with  about 
fifty  sailors,  walking  in  procession,  bound  to  church. 
"A  most  respectable  practice  and  worthy  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  officers  and  men  in  our  navy,"  I  remarked 
severely  to  my  husband,  for  no  such  sight  ever  met 
my  eye  among  our  own  naval  vessels. 

The  sailors  wore  wide  sailor  collars  of  pale  blue 
cambric,  I  thought  it.  Some  one  told  me  that  in 
Russia,  on  their  best  suits,  they  are  made  of  silk. 
Their  caps,  like  those  of  the  officers,  had  white 
crowns.  They  did  not,  however,  present  so  neat  an 
appearance  as  our  sailors. 

The  little  church  must  have  been  full  to  overflow- 
ing with  such  an  addition  to  the  usual  congregation, 
though  more  could  crowd  in  than  in  our  Protestant 
churches,  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  are  no  seats. 
Th^  body  of  the  charch  is  entirely  empty.  The  con- 
gregation stands  all  through  the  service,  except  at  cer- 
tain parts,  when  they  are  required  to  kneel,  bending 
clear  over  and  touching  their  heads  on  the  floor. 
As  the  congregation  do  not  ail  do  it  simultaneously 


68 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


III 


it  is  very  amusing  to  see  the  extraordinary  bobbing 
up  and  down  of  so  many  heads,  old  and  young,  men, 
women  and  children.  The  men  all  stand  on  one 
side  of  the  church  and  the  women  on  tho  other, 
Quaker  meeting  style. 

I  have  omitted  to  say  that  the  Friday  before  the 
departure  of  the  Rush  I  had  taken  up  my  quarters 
ashore  at  the  "  big  house."  My  room  commanded 
a  fine  view  of  the  entrance  to  the  harbor,  where  I 
could  see  each  ship  as  it  first  appeared  on  the  hori- 
zon. Adjoining  my  bedroom  was  a  little  apartment 
called  the  "  Library,"  and  really  deserving  the 
name.  Here  were  kept  about  three  hundred  books, 
standard  works,  such  as  all  of  Dickens,  Thackeray, 
Hawthorne,  Irving,  Cooper,  Prescott,  Motley,  etc., 
besides  a  quantity  of  miscellaneous  literature.  These 
all  belonged  to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,,  I 
felt  there  was  no  need  of  my  being  lonely  with  so 
many  old  friends  near. 

The  library  made  a  pleasant  sitting-room,  where 
I  spent  many  a  quiet,  peaceful  hour  reading,  now 
and  then  recalled  to  my  surroundings  by  lifting 
my  eyes  to  the  "  eternal  hills"  about  me,  on  every 
side,  no  unlike  the  environment  of  my  liomo. 

In  the  library  was  an  organ,  and  though  I  cor- 
dially detest  them,  as  a  general  thing,  it  was  much 
better  than  no  musical  instrument  at  all. 

The  first  real  bright,  sunny  day  after  our  arrival, 
inviting  my  small  son  and  his  playmate,  little 
Emma,  to  accompany  me,  I  wended  my  way  to  the 


OONALASKA  HAPPENINGS 


69 


■» 


hills,  the  nearest  of  access,  from  which  I  hoped  to 
get  a  good  view  of  Oonalaska  and  surroundings.  Our 
way  lay  along  a  narrow  strip  of  pebbly  beach  for 
some  distance,  then  across  a  piece  of  low  land,  where 
a  herd  of  some  fourteen  cows  was  grazing,  and 
beyond  that,  towards  the  little  Russian  and  Aleute 
graveyard,  on  a  slight  elevation.  There,  among  the 
abodes  of  the  dead,  burrow  numbers  of  squirrels, 
introduced  on  the  island  by  some  one,  and  which 
are  multiplying  so  as  to  prove  a  great  nuisance. 
The  graves  were  designated,  as  usual,  by  the  wooden 
cross,  and  palings  around  them.  I  am  reminded 
here  of  a  custom  the  Aleutes  and  Russians  are  said 
to  have  :  About  once  a  month,  on  a  certain  day, 
they  burn  candles  twenty-four  hours  on  the  grave 
of  their  dead. 

The  low  hills  were  green  and  covered  with  flow- 
ers. As  we  crossed  the  pasture  land  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  so  pick  our  way  as  to  avoid  crushing 
the  myriads  of  purple  violets  springing  up  every- 
where, and  which  here  grow  larger  and  more  pc  loct 
than  I  have  eveii  seen  them  elsewhere.  Thcv,  ot 
course,  lack  the  sweet  fragrance  which  makes  the 
English  violet  so  highly  prized. 

The  most  showy  and  common  flower  is  called  the 
*' anemone."  There  are  two  varieties,  one  white, 
and  a  purple,  different  from  the  ordinarj"^  anemone. 
An  orchid  is  also  found  very  common,  consisting  of  a 
cone-shaped  cluster  of  Solferino  flowers  growing  on  a 
short  stem,  and  dark  brownish-green  leaves,  mottled 


JJILIJ  Ji  llllli 


70 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


with  round  black  spots.  There  are  many  other 
varieties  odd  and  very  pretty.  Purple  and  yellow 
are  the  prevailing  colors. 

The  "  monk's-hood,  "  from  which  aconite  is 
obtained,  is  common.  The  buttercup,  dandelion  and 
a  species  of  daisy  grow  there  also.  Those,  besides 
the  violet  and  flag,  were  the  only  home  flowers  I 
found. 

The  variety  of  flowers  which  constantly  sprang 
up  on  the  hills,  as  the  season  advanced,  was  aston- 
ishing. Every  few  days  I  discovered  a  new  one, 
often  several  in  a  day,  and  returned  laden  with  large 
bouquets  of  them,  with  which  I  adorned  my  room. 
They  were  larger  and  more  vaunting  in  their 
beauty  than  the  wild-flowers  of  California  and  other 
States,  barring  the  "  escholtzia." 

My  interest  being  centered  so  wholly  upon  the 
flowers,  and  having  my  back  turned  to  the  general 
and  larger  view  of  Oonalaska,  it  was  almost  with  sur- 
prise I  suddenly  turned,  and  beheld  the  landscape, 
as  it  spread  out  before  my  gaze.  *'  How  grand  it 
is  !  "  was  my  first  thought.  The  mountains  covered 
with  snow  stretched  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  in 
almost  every  direction,  being  more  prominent  from 
my  then  elevated  position,  than  when  on  the  level  of 
the  beach.  The  water  of  the  harbor  was  as  calm  as 
a  mountain  lake,  and  appeared  from  where  I  vioweu 
it,  like  an  enormous  river.  I  could  see  the  entrance 
to  the  harbor,  where  the  sea  ran  betv/een  two  lines 
of  hills  for  some  miles  ;  finally,  after  a  sharp  turn. 


OONALASKA  HAPPENINGS 


71 


spreading  into  a  round  lake  or  the  harbor,  again 
contracting  into  a  smaller  channel,  and  disappear- 
ing at  last  behind  the  near  hills.  But  this  really 
was  the  salt  sea,  and  all  these  hills  but  branches  or 
arms  of  Oonalaska  Island,  for  it  is  shaped  like  an 
octopus,  with  arms  spreading  in  every  direction, 
and  a  very  small  body.  The  low  hills  around  the 
water's  edge  were  as  green  as  emeralds  and  set  off 
the  grim  and  snowy  heights  beyond,  in  their  lofty 
grandeur,  stern,  yet  protecting,  as  they  overlook  the 
quiot  little  town. 

Directly  in  front  of  me  an  extinct  volcano  reared 
its  crater,  into  whose  depths  I  had  a  wild  desire 
to  look,  being  resolved  if  any  opportunity  offered 
itself  to  embrace  it  by  all  means.  Back  of  Oona- 
laska, and  making  a  decided  peninsula  of  the  land 
on  which  the  town  was  situated  (it  was  commonly 
called  "the  spit") ,  ran  a  very  respectable  sized  stream, 
clear  and  shallow,  and  which  about  two  miles  from 
its  mouth  formed  a  beautiful  fresh-water  lake.  This 
stream,  of  course,  provides  Oonalaska  with  a  con- 
stant supply  of  fresh  water  for  all  purposes.  The 
Alaska  Commercial  Company  have  laid  pipes,  con- 
ducting it  to  the  "  big  house''  and  on  down  to  the 
wharf,  with  which  more  conveniently  to  supply  the 

vessels. 

After  feasting  my  eyes  on  the  lovely  scene,  I 
returned  with  the  children,  a  little  late  for  dinner, 
and  had  to  tender  my  excuses  to  my  kind  host,  Mr. 
N ,  for  delaying  them  so  long.     For  Mr.  N 


if 


n 


I 


I 


i^\ 


72 


CRUISE  OF  THE  *'RUSH" 


Es-; 


I 


I 


is.  the  very  soul  of  politeness.  He  treated  me  with 
the  most  unfailing  courtesy  and  kindness  all  the 
time  I  was  in  Oonalaska.  He  had  been  first  at 
St.  Michael's,  then  at  Oonalaska  for  over  sixteen  years, 
spending  only  the  summer  season  there,  howeveri 
and  the  winter  in  KSan  Francisco.  He  has  led  a 
varied  life  and  has  traveled  extensively  over  the 
world,  beginning  in  his  youth  with   adventures  in 

New  Zealand.     Mr.  N is  a  Bavarian,  and  speaks 

many  languages,  and  is  especially  fluent  in  Russian. 
To  him  I  owe  my  sincerest  thanks,  as  well  as  to 

Col.  B and  Dr.  C ,  for  a  most  delightful  visit 

to  Oonalaska. 

The  company's  warehouses,  five  or  six  in  number, 
were,  as  I  have  mentioned,  at  the  head  of  the  wharf. 
In  them  were  kept  all  the  supplies  for  their  various 
branch  stations,  and  a  fine  stock  of  furs.  Together 
with  scwii-e  otHcers  from  the  Thetis  we  were  shown 
through  them  a  few  days  after  our  arrival  in  Oona- 
laska. The  fur-house  was  the  most  interesting  and 
the  first  one  we  visited.  This  was  divided  like  the 
rest  into  two  stories.  At  the  entrance  the  lllst  tiling 
that  met  my  eye  was  a  scale,  and  jumping  on,  I  dis- 
covered I  had  gained  six  pounds  already,  in  fouf 
weeks'  time,  and  felt  alarmed  for  the  future.  All 
that  go  up  to  those  regions  share  the  same  fate.  But 
to  more  interesting  matters.  On  our  left  as  we 
entered  was  a  great  heap  of  the  strangest  looking 
Btufif,  piles  of  what  looked  like  huge  feathers,  eight 
or  ten  feet  long,  the    (juill,  however:    being    more 


OONALASKA  HAPPENINGS 


73 


prominent  than  the  feathery  part,  and  these  lashed 
together  into  great  bundles.  It  was  whalebone. 
This,  as  every  one  knows,  is  found  only  in  the 
mouth  of  the  whale,  and  the  feathery  or  laminated 
part  is  used  in  the  capacity  of  a  sieve  by  the  mon- 
ster, through  which  he  strains  his  food,  ejecting 
the  water  and  retaining  the  small  fish  which  form 
his  sustenance.  There  are  in  a  full  grown  whale 
about  three  hundred  of  these.  This  large  quantity, 
almost  enough  to  fill  a  cart,  was  from  only  one  whale, 
and  was  worth  over  three  dollars  a  pound,  altogether 
about  five  thousand  dollars.  I  began  to  realize 
the  immense  profit  in  a  good  catch. 

On  our  right  were  piled  to  the  ceiling  hundreds 
of  hair-seal  skins,  from  some  of  which  the  hair  had 
been  shaved,  the  rest  still  retaining  it.  These  skins 
after  they  are  shaved  are  used  by  the  natives  to 
cover  their  bydarkas,  or  skin  boats,  which  I  have 
already  described. 

Uj)stairs,  suspended  from  the  ceiling  and  com- 
-pletely  hiding  it;  hung  over  a  thousand  skins,  blue, 
silver  gray,  white  and  red  fox,  mink  and  marten. 
And  in  several  boxes  were  more  packed  away.  In 
a  corner  were  some  magnificent  large  silver-tipped 
wna-otter.  It  was  a  sight  to  make  a  furrier's  h  ^art 
glad.  I  threatened  a  raid  on  the  premises  some 
dark  nigbl.  The  most  curious  thing  we  saw  was  a 
segment  of  tusk  of  a  mastodon  of  enormous  size, 
unearthed  in  Alaska,  near  St.  Michael's.  It  must 
have  been  two  yards  long,  and  at  the  base  several 


74 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


inches  in  diameter.  The  size  of  an  animal  able  to 
wield  two  tusks  of  such  extraordinary  size  is  almost 
inconceivable  to  our  finite  minds.  The  largest 
elephant  would  dwindle  into  insignificance. 

The  other  houses  contained,  one  groceries,  another 
dry  goods,  and  so  forth,  but  none  so  nearly  to  my 
liking  as  the  fur-house. 


! 


CHAPTER  X. 


OONALASKA   HAPPENINGS — CONTINUED. 

QlL  this  time  the  town  swarmed  with  Rus- 
^1"  sian  officers  and  sailors,  of  whom  there  were 
sixteen  of  the  former  and  one  hundred  and  eighty 
of  the  latter.  The  officers  promenaded  up  and  down 
the  length  of  the  plank  walk,  apparently  for  exer- 
cise, while  two  or  three,  more  energetic,  climbed 
the  hills  in  quest  of  ganit?. 

They  were  all  more  or  less  blond  in  complexion, 
exhibiting  all  shades  of  light  hair  and  whiskers, 
except  the  first  lieutenant,  who  was  a  decided  bru- 
nette, and  a  giant  in  stature  ;  their  dress  the  prosaic 
European  costume.  Why  is  the  world  discarding  all 
the  picturesque  for  the  useful  and  more  convenient  ? 
All  the  great  nations  seem  fusing  into  one,  in  cus- 
toin'=',  dress  and  manners,  and  those  the  English. 
Oh  !  tLat  I  had  lived  in  the  time  of  knee-breeches 
ano  povvdered  wigs,  lace  ruffles  and  silver  buckles, 
in  the  time  of  the  "  immortal  George." 

On  board  the  Kraysar  was  a  Russian  Prince. 
His  title  did  not  necessarily  imply  him  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  royal  family,  but  he  belonged  to  one 
of  the  princely  houses.  He  was  but  a  sub-lieutenant 
and  treated  as  the  rest  by  his  brother  officers.  Rank 
and  birth  make  no  difference  aboard  a  inan-of-war, 


a 


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Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STMCT 

WfSSTIR.N.Y.  145M 

(716)  •71-4503 


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^v 


76 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


nor  did  he  assume  any  superior  airs.  He  called  on 
me  and  was  as  talkative  and  affable  as  could  be, 
in  his  imperfect  English.  His  manners  were  very 
French. 

Captain  B ,  of  the  Kraysar,  with  Mr.  N , 

also  called,  and  the  former  invited  me  to  visit  his 
ship  the  following  day.     At  ten,  the  next  day,  and 

at  the  appointed  time,  Captain  B came  after 

Mr.  N and  myself,  conducting  us  to  the  wharf, 

where,  at  the  boat-landing,  we  found  an  immense 
rowboat,  manned  by  twelve  men.  The  boat  was 
cushioned  and  carpeted,  as  was  the  gangway  leading 
aboard.  On  arriving  at  the  ship's  side — she  waa 
anchored  but  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
wharf — I  was  ushered  aboard  with  as  much  defer- 
ence as  if  I  had  been  a  princess — attentions  so 
grateful  to  any  woman's  heart.  The  manners  of 
these  Russian  gentlemen  much  resembled  those  of 
the  French  in  all  their  little  gallantries,  flattering 
attentions  and  extravagant  compliments. 

We  were  shown  all  over  the  ship,  which  was  very 
complete  in  all  her  appointments.  She  had  four 
enormous  Russian-made  guns,  six-inch  bore,  four 
smaller  Hotchkiss  guns,  several  Gatlings  and  a 
torpedo ;  the  latter  bei:  ^  y,  the  first  I  had  seen, 
interested  me  greatly.  It  was  fired  by  means  of 
compressed  air.  The  ship  was  lighted  throughout  by 
the  Edison  light. 

Lunch  was  served  in  true  Russian  style,  I  there 
first  tasted  the  "  black  bread  "  of  which  we  so  often 


. 


OONALASKA  EAPPENISGS— Continued. 


77 


il 


read,  besides  several  peculiar  dishes  unknown  to  me 
and  essentially  Russian. 

On  board  the  Kraysar  was  a  piano,  which  I  thor- 
oughly enjoyed  both  listening  to  and  playing  on, 
with  one  of  the  officers,  who  was  an  excellent  musi- 
cian. Our  duet  playing  was  very  amusing  ;  being 
unable  to  understand  each  other  we  conveyed  our 
ideas  in  pantomime.  When  counting  he  used  the 
Russian  and  I  the  English.  The  nodding  of  our 
heads  and  keeping  time  that  way  was  more  intelli- 
gible to  both.  He  treated  me  to  several  national 
airs,  which  were  particularly  pleasing,  they  were 
such  joyous,  tripping  measures  ;  some  also  from 
Glinka's  "Life  of  the  Czar,"  and  the  grand  Russian 
national  hymn,  stirring  as  the  "Marseillaise,"  though 
I  fear  me  the  downtrodden  peasantry  rarely  exult 
in  it.  Was  it  the  playful  trick  of  a  giant,  when  the 
huge  first  lieutenant  of  the  Kraysar,  on  one  of  the 
sailors  bungling  over  some  part  of  a  great  gun 
he  was  exhibiting,  slapped  him  right  and  left  over 
the  head  with  his  enormous  hands  ? 

"  Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 
Theirst  but  to  do  and  die." 

I  was  impressed  with  the  really  paternal  feeling, 
however,  the  captain  displayed  for  his  officers, 
and  men  also,  though  it  might  have  been  affected. 
They  seemed  to  look  on  him  with  real  aflFection. 
Once  in  the  small  boat,  when  rowing  back  to  shore, 
he  leaned  over  and  impulsively  grasped  the  chin  of 
lone  of  the  men  who  was  rowing  near  him,  in  his 


78 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


hand,  in  a  caressing  way,  as  one  would  that  of  a 
child  to  look  in  his  face.  None  but  a  foreigner 
could  have  done  it  in  so  natural  a  way.  Did  any 
one  ever  see  an  English  or  American  captain  of  a 
man-of-war  condescend  to  an  action  of  that  kind  ? 
The  sailor  smiled  as  he  did  it.  By  accident  the 
flag-pole  on  the  rowboat  was  caught  under  a  rope 
by  which  a  vessel  we  had  to  pass  was  moored,  and 
it  broke  short  off.  As  it  sank  into  the  water  the 
captain,  clasping  his  hands,  exclaimed,  quickly, 
"  Ah  !  the  Russian  flag !"  seeing  in  it  at  once  an  evil 
omen.  To  my  surprise  he  did  not  reprimand  the 
"  cox-an,"  by  whose  carelessness  it  happened,  as  he 
was  steering,  and  besides  it,  giving  also  the  com- 
mands to  the  sailors. 

The  same  day  the  Kraysar  left,  and  it  was  with 
regret  I  watched  them  sailing  past  my  window, 
waving  their  hats  in  adieu,  for  they  had  been  very 
kind  to  me. 

Captain  H also  entertained   me  aboard  the 

BeaVy  showing  me  all  over  the  ship,  and  revealing  to 
me,  for  the  first  time,  her  storage  capacity.  I  was 
astounded  at  the  quantities  of  barrels  she  contained, 
filled  with  a  number  of  different  commodities,  such 
as  flour,  corned  beef,  molasses,  etc.,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  one,  a  hundred  of  another,  and  so  on, 
supplies  for  a  year  for  the  house  to  be  erected  at 
Point  Barrow,  already  referred  to.  Besides  the  house 
and  provisions  there  was  an  immense  amount  of 
coal  aboard. 


— — — .1^ 


mm 


OONALASKA  HAPPENINGS-Con&ntted. 


79 


Captain  H has  been  in  command  of  the  Bear 

three  years.  Last  year  ho  rendered  great  assistance 
to  shipwrecked  whalers,  carrying  back  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, on  board  of  his  vessel,  one  hundred  and  ten 
men,  whom  he  rescued  from  several  whale-ships 
wrecked  in  a  dreadful  storm  off  Point  Barrow.  From 
that  disaster  the  necessity  of  some  place  of  refuge 
for  shipwrecked  whalers  in  the  Arctic  was  plainly 
proved,  and  the  house  and  a  year's  supply  of  pro- 
visions for  it  the  result. 

Twenty  years  ago  Capt.  H made  his  first  trip 

to  these  regions.  His  knowledge  of  the  Behring 
Sea  and  Arctic  Ocean  rbout  the  coast  line  of  Alaska 
is  perfect. 

Not  long  after  the  Bear  had  sailed  there  arrived  a 
party  of  twenty  gentlemen  from  San  Francisco 
on  the  company's  steamer  Bertha,  having  aboard, 
also,  a  welcome  bag  of  mail.  These  gentlemen 
were  commissioners  bound  to  St.  Michael's,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  River.  Their  object 
was  to  determine  the  boundary  between  Alaska  and 
the  British  possessions.  St.  Michael's  was  the  st&i 
ing  point  from  where  they  were  to  navigate  the 
river  as  far  as  possible  to  the  boundary ;  arriving 
there  the  party  was  to  divide,  one-half  going  north  the 
other  south.  These  gentlemen  were  all  Americana. 
Last  year  (1888)  a  party  of  Canadians  came  up  on 
a  similar  journey  and  determined  the  boundary  in 
their  own  way.     The  Americans  now  came  up  to  see 


80 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


if  it  was  properly  done,  and  in  time  it  is  to  be 
decided  by  joint  commission. 

There  were  three  vessels  alongside  the  dock,  on 
the  arrival  of  the  Bertha^  for  various  purposes. 
They  were  all  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company's 
vessels.  The  SL  Paul,  bound  soon  to  St.  Michael's, 
and  having  aboard,  beside  other  freight,  a  large 
boiler  for  a  new  vessel  to  be  built  there.  This  was 
for  navigating  the  Yukon  and  made  the  fifth  vessel 
built  there  for  that  purpose.  Two  cows  and  two 
calves  were  passengers  aboard  the  St.  Paul. 

The  Dora,  also  bound  for  St.  Michaels  with  the 

commissioners  aboard,  accompanied  by  Mr.  N 

on  a  three  weeks'  trip.     Mr.  N visits  all  of  ihese 

places  every  summer  in  the  interests  of  the  company. 
The  Estelle,  a  bark  laden  with  coal  for  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company.  The  Bertha  was  going 
to  Kadiak  with  supplies,  and  thence  to  San  Fran- 
cisco direct.  The  Bertha  ordinarily  ran  between 
San  Francisco  and  Kadiak  only,  but  had  come  to 
Oonalaska  on  some  special  purpose. 

The  whale-ship  mentioned  by  me  as  having  been 
nearly  wrecked  in  the  Arctic,  had  been  repaired  by 
the  carpenter  of  the  Bear  and  was  towed  out  by  the 
latter  when  she  started.  The  poor  crew  of  the 
whaler  were  very  much  averse  to  starting  again  on 
another  necessarily  hard  cruise  after  whales,  and  at 
first  refused  to  work  at  the  repairs,  till  brought  into 
a  more  tractable  frame  of  mind,  by  being  kept  in 
irons  two  or  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time 


OONALASKA  HAPPENINGS- Con^inwcd 


81 


they  preferred  work  to  imprisonment.  Poor  crea- 
tures !  I  did  not  blame  them,  they  were  much  to 
be  pitied  I  thought.  Who  would  wish  to  start  again 
on  a  whaling  expedition  after  such  hardships  as 
they  had  endured,  with  the  miserable  pay  they 
receive,  which  is  a  small  proportion  of  the  profits  of 
the  catch,  hardly  repaying  them  for  their  months  of 
hard  labor  when  the  catch  is  greatest,  and  often  los- 
ing all  when  unfortunate  enough  to  secure  nothing. 
The  life  of  a  sailor  in  the  "  fo'castle  "  (forecastle) 
of  most  whale-ships  is  a  dog's  life.  Their  quarters 
little  better  than  a  kennel,  into  which  they  often  have 
to  creep  almost  on  hand-:  and  knees,  and  when  inside 
c8.nnot  stand  erect.  This  hole  is  their  only  refuge 
from  the  weather,  and  here  they  often  are  compelled 
to  sleep,  cold  and  wet,  with  onlj'  coarse,  unnutritious 
food  ;  called  up  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night,  and 
subject  to  inhuman  treatment  from  the  notoriously 
brutal  *•  mate."  Yet  strange  to  say  these  men  will 
ship  year  after  year ;  they  seem  to  be  driven  to  it 
by  some  mysterious  fate.  It  may  be  a  spirit  of  fas- 
cination in  the  adventures  and  perils  encountered. 

Cruise  op  tbb  "  Rush."  6 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE    ALEUTES 

W  USSIA  TOOK  POSSESSION  of  Alaska  and 
^1^  these  islands  through  right  of  discovery. 
This  occurred  in  1741.  The  islands  were  discovered 
by  Behring,  a  Russian  adventurer,  after  whom  the 
sea  was  named.  Alaska  remained  in  the  possession 
of  the  Russians  till  the  year  1867,  when  it  was 
bought  by  the  United  States.  Previous  to  that 
time  the  natives  of  these  islands  were  in  a  state  of 
slavery  and  cruelly  treated  by  their  masters.  They 
were  all  Christianized  by  the  Greek  Church  mis- 
sionaries. They  had  been  idolaters  before  their 
subjugation,  and  the  missionaries  found  numbers  of 
grotesque  idols  formed  of  bone  and  ivory,  rudely 
carved,  which  they  took  good  care  to  destroy,  much 
to  the  distress  of  many  an  antiquarian. 

The  origin  of  the  Aleutes  is  unknown.  Dr.  Jack- 
son of  Sitka,  who  has  made  the  Indians  of  Alaska 
and  natives  of  Aleutian  Islands  somewhat  of  a  study, 
thinks  the  Aleutes — ^like  the  Thlinkets — the  tribe 
inhabiting  all  the  coast  from  Yakutat  to  Dixon's 
entrance — are  of' Asiatic  origin,  though  diflPering  as 
a  Frenchman  does  from  an  Englishman.  Such  is 
the  opinion  of  most  of  those  who  have  lived  among 

(82) 


flii 


THE  ALEUTES. 


88 


them.     They  more  nearly   resemble  the  Japanese 
than  any  other  nation  now  in  existence. 

The  Aleutes  and  Koniagas,  the  latter  inhabiting 
the  Island  of  Kadiak  and  the  peninsula  of  Alaska, 
are  very  much  alike  and  together  resemble  in  cus- 
toms and  habits  the  Eskimos,  rather  than  the  other 
tribes  of  Indians  living  on  the  mainland,  the  inte- 
rior and  more  southern  part  of  Alaska.  The  Aleutes 
really  do  not  consider  themselves  Indians,  though 
the  difference  is  so  slight  it  is  hard  to  know  where 
to  draw  the  line  between  the  '*  Siwash "  at  Sitka 
and  the  native  of  Oonalaska,  except  that  the  former 
as  a  rule  are  much  heavier  set. 

The  tradition  in  regard  to  the  father  of  the  race 
of  Aleutes  is,  that  he  fell  from  heaven  in  the  shape 
of  a  dog.  The  fathers  of  the  Eskimo  tribes  seem  to 
have  been  a  bird  and  a  dog.  In  Mr.  Bancroft's 
*•  History  of  the  Native  Races  of  the  Pacific  States" 
may  be  found  a  historv  of  the  tribes  of  Alaska,  their 
traditions  and  customs,  etc.,  at  the  time  of  their 
subjugation  by  the  Russians.  It  is  about  their 
present  condition  I  am  writing. 

The  language  of  the  two  tribes,  Koniagas  and 
Aleutes,  is  much  the  same ;  a  slight  difference  of 
dialect  is  all.  In  both  these  dialects  there  is  no  dis- 
tinction of  gender.  Verbs  are  conjugated  by  means 
of  terminals.  The  chief  difference  between  the 
dialects  is  in  the  formation  of  the  plural  of  nouns. 
The  Aleutes  of  the  more  eastern  islands  enunciate 
rapidly,  at  Oonalaska  they  drawl.  It  is  from  Mr.  Ban- 


•nkPWi^ 


84 


CRUISE  OP  THE   "RUSH" 


croft's  history  I  have  quoted  the  last  few  facts  con- 
cerning the  language,  not  having  been  long  enough 
among  them  to  make  any  study  of  it  myself.  Most 
of  the  Aleutes  speak  a  barbarous  Russian,  besides 
their  own  language.  Very  few  even  of  the  Creole  fam- 
ilies speak  pure  Russian.  This  I  was  told  by  those 
who  were  conversant  with  that  language. 

The  physical  condition  of  most  of  the  Aleutes  is 
dreadful.  There  are  a  great  many  feeble  men  and 
women  among  them.  They  are  bent  and  crippled 
with  rheumatism  ;  many  die  of  pneumonia,  and 
consumption  is  very  general.  There  are  few  that 
seem  strong  and  hearty,  and  well  built.  The  con- 
stant dampness  and  their  carelessness  in  regard  to 
their  health  must  be  the  cause.  Little  children  go 
about,  winter  as  well  as  summer,  barefoot  and  half- 
clothed.  Nature  cannot  be  disregarded  in  this  way, 
and  will  assert  herself  in  time. 

The  lives  of  these  poor  people  must  be  one  long 
misery.  If  they  fall  ill  they  are  left  to  die  alone 
and  uncared  for,  at  least  in  places  where  there 
is  no  white  physician.  They  do  not  seem  to  fear 
death  and,  when  ill,  make  no  effort  to  get  well.  The 
Aleutes  do  not  now  have  a  **  medicine  man,"  though 
I  believe  they  did  in  former  years. 

I  have  mentioned  the  fact  that  vessels  coal  at 
^onalaska.  When  there  are  not  sufficient  men  in 
the  town — many  go  away  in  the  summer  to  hunt 
and  fish — the  women  lend  a  hand  at  coaling  the 
Bhios.    It  looked  oddly  enough  to  see  a  long  line  of 


wm^m 


THE  ALEUTES. 


85 


them  with  their  wheelbarrows,  hard  at  work  convey- 
ing the  coal  back  and  forth.  Some  carried  it  in 
baskets,  which  they  rested  on  their  hips. 

Both  men  and  women  smoke  cigarettes  and  drink 
an  intoxicating  liquor  of  their  own  concoction  called 
"  quass."  It  is  made  from  yeast,  produced  from 
potatoes.  This  is  allowed  to  ferment,  forming  a 
kind  of  beer,  to  which  is  added  fruits  of  whatever 
kind  can  be  had,  principally  berries.  Currants  and 
raisins  are  also  used  when  they  can  be  obtained. 
This  "  quass,*'  I  was  told,  if  made  in  a  cleanly  man- 
ner, is  a  very  palatable  drink.    It  is  made  in  barrels. 

At  the  Seal  Islands  is  made  a  liquor  from  sugar, 
therefore  the  latter  is  never  allowed  the  natives, 
except  on  rare  occasions,  and  then  in  small  quanti- 
ties. They  often  save  this  till  enough  is  procured 
to  make  the  liquor,  when  they  have  a  grand  carousal. 
Both  kinds  are  very  intoxicating.  These  Indians, 
like  most  others,  are  extraordinarily  fond  of  liquor  of 
any  sort.  They  will  give  all  they  possess  for  a  bot- 
tle of  whisky.  One  man  offered  to  pay  two  twenty- 
dollar  gold  pieces  for  one  drink.  But  liquor  is  not 
sold  on  the  islands  at  all.  Sitka  is  governed  by  the 
same  law,  though  there  it  has  not  been  enforced. 

The  native  customs  are  fast  dying  out.  When  by 
themselves  the  Aleutes  fall  back  into  their  primitive 
habits,  especially  when  under  the  influence  of  liquor. 
Their  dances  are  very  wild  and  absurd.  In  their 
antics  they  resemble  monkeys  more  than  human 
beings.     They  often  personate  animals  of  different 


86 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


kinds.  Birds  are  represented  by  attaching  wings  to 
their  bodies.  Thus  attired  they  jump  and  spring 
about  to  weird  music,  produced  by  one  of  the 
audience,  who  plays  on  a  lude  instrument  somewhat 
resembling  a  tambourine,  made  of  a  piece  of  skin 
drawn  tightly  over  a  frame.  This  is  beaten  in  a 
rythmic  way  with  a  stick. 

The  women  sometimes  join  in  the  dance,  the  men 
circling  around  them,  while  they  keep  up  a  peculiar 
motion  by  balancing  backward  and  forward  on  their 
toes.  Such  dances  are  observable  among  the  Alas- 
kan tribes  generally.  They  are  now  almost  obsolete 
among  the  Aleutes.  Last  year  some  rescued  Indian 
hunters  were  being  conveyed  on  board  the  Rush 
from  Sitka  to  Victoria,  on  which  occasion  they 
were  requested  by  the  otficers  and  men  to  give  a 
war-dance.  Diving  under  the  "  fo'castle,"  they 
appeared  a  few  moments  afterward  streaked  with 
paint,  arrayed  in  wings  and  various  other  adorn- 
ments. The  dance  was  the  most  repulsive  sight  he 
ever  witnessed,  my  husband  said.  These  Indians 
were  of  the  Nit-Nat  and  Clayquot  tribes  of  Vancou- 
ver Island. 

The  weapons  used  by  the  Aleutes  are  the  bow  and 
arrow,  and  spear.  The  latter  are  tipped  with  bone. 
Attached  to  a  string  fastened  on  the  handle  of  the 
spear  is  a  small  piece  of  ivory,  obtained,  Pii:vlly, 
from  walrus  tusks,  about  two  or  three  inches  'ong, 
with  several  sharp  teeth  on  one  side  like  a  '^aw. 
These  are  inserted  in  the  end  of  the  spf  {:r  when 


I 


^1% 


THE  ALEUIES.  •? 

about  to  bo  thrown.  They  penetrate  the  skin  of  the 
seal  and  remain  fastened  to  the  body  when  the  spear 
is  drawn  back.  The  seal,  diving  immediately,  car- 
ries the  tip  of  bono  wiili  him,  but  with  the  string 
fastened  to  the  spear,  and  hy  which  the  hunter  has 
already  secured  him.  he  is  pulled  again  within 
reach.  The  men  used  to  wear  knives,  the  blades 
of  which  were  of  stone,  sharpened  to  a  very  thin 
edge. 

Not  long  since  the  Aleutes  embalmed  their  dead. 
Mummies  are  occasionally  still  found  in  caves.     Dr. 

C ,  at  Oonalaska.  told   me  he  himself  had  once 

found  parts  of  several,  but  not  in  a  sufficiently 
complete  state  of  preservation  to  be  kept.  Their 
method  of  embalming  mummies  was  very  simple, 
being  merely  to  stuff  them  with  grass.  They  were 
then  put  into  caves  in  an  upright  or  sitting  posture. 
Another  form  of  burial  was  to  elevate  the  bodies  on 
poles  above  the  ground,  as  the  Eskimos  dispose  of 
their  dead. 

The  dress  of  the  Aleute  women  and  men  is  not 
especially  characteristic.  The  women  wear  calico 
dresses  made  in  the  plainest  possible  style  and  with- 
out much  regard  to  fit,  usually  rather  short,  their 
nether  garments — rags,  rarely  changed.  Over  their 
heads,  in  work-day  costume,  they  wear  little  shawls, 
folded  diagonally,  and  fastened  under  the  chin. 
Their  gala  array  consists  of  a  calico,  often  a  woolen, 
dress  of  a  bright  color,  a  shawl  about  their  shoulders, 
folded  diagonally,  and  a  silk  handkerchief  on  their 


88 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


I 


heads,  secured  also  under  the  chin.  They  seem  to 
revel  in  the  latter,  the  more  brilliant  the  color  the 
more  it  is  prized. 

When  grouped  together,  as  one  sees  them  at 
church,  the  array  of  color  is  truly  bewildering.  One 
will  have  a  solferino  colored  dress,  a  red  plaid 
shawl,  and  a  grass-green  handkerchief  on  her  head. 
Thus  arrayed  she  is  the  admiration  and  envy  of  all 
the  rest. 

Like  most  Indians  they  admire  anything  orna- 
mented with  beads.  Many  wear  nets  over  their 
hair,  on  which  are  strung  beads  of  bright  colors. 

The  men  attire  themselves  in  the  ordinary  Ameri- 
can dress,  covered  when  hunting  with  the  kamlica 
or  skin-coat,  I  have  described  elsewhere.  On  rare 
occasions  they  wear  a  garment  called  a  "  parka" — 
usually  pronounced  parky — made  of  the  skins  of 
birds,  which  are  nicely  tanned,  and  deftly  sewn 
together.  These  are  also  made  of  the  skins  .of  small 
animals,  such  as  squirrels  and  the  muskrat.  The 
natives  of  Attoo  and  Atkha  still  wear  these  bird-skin 
and  muskrat  parkas  to  some  extent. 

Both  men  and  women  often  wear  a  boot  made  of 
skin,  extending  to  the  knee.  The  sole  is  made  of 
the  flipper  of  the  sea-lion,  and  the  top  of  the  boot 
of  the  lining  of  its  entrails,  so  much  used  by  them. 
They  are  called  "  mazinkas."  The  Eskimos  wear  a 
similar  boot,  called  "  trabasars,"  the  leg  of  which  is 
made  of  fur. 

The  men  still  wear  at  times  immense  hats,  some 


4- 


THE  ALEUTES. 


89 


of  which  are  of  wood,  but  most  of  them  made  of 
skin  stretched  over  a  frame.  The  peculiarity  of 
these  is  the  very  wide  and  pointed  brim  at  the  front, 
extending  far  out  over  the  eyes.  It  is  made  thus, 
as  a  protection  from  the  light  of  the.  sun,  when  it 
shines,  for  there  is  so  much  gloom  the  greater  part 
of  the  year  the  sunlight  appears  to  blind  them. 

Twenty  years  ago  the  Aleutes  dressed  and  lived 
more  as  the  Eskimos  do  now,  farther  north.  Their 
contact  with  European  life  among  the  Russians  has 
necessarily  greatly  modified  and  changed  both  their 
dress  and  customs. 

The  Aleutes  do  not  have  dogs  among  them  as  do 
all  the  other  Alaskan  tribes.  The  Indian  dogs  are 
a  feature  of  every  Indian  village  from  Point  Barrow 
to  the  Straits  of  San  Juan  de  Fuca.  They  sleep  and 
eat  with  their  masters,  and  are  of  as  much  impor- 
tance as  the  very  children  themselves.  I  can 
imagine  no  cause  why  this  is  so.  The  Eskimos 
utilize  their  dogs,  but  among  the  Thlinkets  they  are 
not  even  ornamental.  On  the  Seal  Islands  no  dogs 
of  any  kind  are  allowed,  because  they  scare  away 
the  seals. 


CHAPTER  XIT. 


■■■■■I 


THE     ALEUTES — CONTINUED. 

tilE  FONDNESS  THE  ALEUTES  have  for  raw 
fish  is  ineradicable.  They  are  not  an  intelli- 
gent race  and  the  quantity  they  eat  of  this  article 
disproves  the  theory  that  "fish  make  brains."  The 
flesh  and  blubber  of  the  seal,  sea-otter  and  parts  of 
whales  are  bread  and  meat  to  them.  They  are 
epicures,  preferring  the  flesh  when  "  gamey."  They 
also  eat  the  sea-urchin  and  other  shell-fish  as  we  do 
raw  oysters.  The  octopus  or  devil-fish,  is  consid- 
ered a  great  delicacy  ;  certain  parts  only  are  eaten. 
Jelly-fish  are  in  demand,  perhaps  for  dessert. 

The  Aleutes  are  fond  of  fat  of  any  kind  and 
greedily  devour  candles.  Our  chief-engineer  told 
me  he  knew  an  Indian  to  drink  the  lard-oil  used 
about  the  machinery  in  the  engine-room.  This 
fondness  for  fat  is  universal  among  the  tribes  of 
Alaska,  including  the  Eskimos. 

Even  after  living  some  time  among  white  people, 
they  will  return  to  their  old  habits.  The  following 
incident  was  told  me  by  a  lady,  who  lived  on  one  of 
the  Aleutian  Islands  for  several  months:  A  white 
man  had  a  native  wife,  who  became  a  very  good 
cook  under  his  instructions,  for  he  was  a  man  of 
cultivated  taste,  having  known  plenty.     She  would 

(90) 


/ 


THE  ALEVTES—Contimied 


91 


cook  his  meals  and  set  the  table  nicely  with  cloth 
and  dishes  of  various  kinds.  However,  she  could 
not  be  induced  to  sit  at  table  and  eat  with  him,  but 
would  wait  till  he  was  through  and  had  gone  away, 
then  calling  in  her  friends  they  would  seat  them- 
selves on  the  floor,  rejecting  the  well-cooked  viands, 
and  munch  raw  salmon  with  the  greatest  satisfac- 
tion. They  retain  these  tastes  all  through  life. 
Eating  raw  fish  is  a  custom  of  other  more  southern 
islands  of  the  Pacific.  A  similar  incident  was 
related  to  me  of  a  woman  who  was  a  native  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands. 

The  Aleutes  are  not  a  fierce  and  savage  race,  but 
seem  quiet  and  docile.  This,  however,  is  said  to 
be  the  effect  of  their  long  subjection  and  oppression 
by  the  Russians,  for  their  original  nature  was  war- 
like. They  are  very  sullen  at  times,  and  will  sit  for 
hours  gazing  out  on  the  water,  motionless,  as  if 
carved  from  stone.  This  stolidity,  as  is  generally 
known,  is  a  peculiar  trait  of  all  aboriginal  American 
races. 

Mention  has  been  made  before  of  "  Touchy  Ann," 

Mrs.  B 's  assistant  at  Squaw  Harbor.     She  was 

of  a  very  sullen  disposition.  After  living  a  whole 
winter  with  her,  the  woman  was  as  unapproachable 

as  in  the  beginning.     Mrs.  B had  at  fir^t  tried 

to  make  friends  with  her,  being  the  only  woman 
within  six  or  seven  miles,  but  she  would  not  speak 
when  addressed,  though  seeming  to  understand. 
She  uttered  nothing  beyond  monosyllables  but  half- 


92 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


1 


-*< 


a-dozen  times  in  as  many  months.  Once  when 
working  for  a  white  man  at  Ounga,  he  was  so 
incensed  at  her,  after  repeated  efforts  to  make  her 
answer  him,  he  said,  'Til  kill  you  if  you  don't 
speak."  Then  she  said,  "  You  can  kill  me  and  I 
won't." 

Yet,  generally  speaking,  the  Aleutes,  among  whom 
I  lived  at  Oonalaska  for  two  months,  appeared  to 
me  to  be  bright  and  lively  in  disposition.  To  be 
sure,  there  is  such  a  mixture  of  Russian  blood  among 
them,  it  is  difficult  to  select  a  genuine  Aleute.  The 
shyness  being  worn  off,  seeing  me  as  they  did  daily, 
for  any  passing  nod  or  word  of  greeting  I  gave 
them,  they  answered  me  with  a  bright  smile,  appear- 
ing to  appreciate  it.  It  was  amusing  to  hear  the 
younger  children,  in  imitation  of  my  two  boys, 
address  me  as  "  Mamma."  They  evidently  thought 
it  my  name. 

During  the  rule  of  the  Russians  the  natives  were 
utterly  cowed  and  subdued.  They  scarce  dared 
look  into  their  masters'  faces  when  addressed,  the 
lash  was  kept  in  such  constant  use.  On  the  trans- 
fer of  Alaska  to  the  Americans,  tJie  Indians,  little 
understanding  their  happy  release,  continued  for 
some  time  to  deport  themselves  in  the  old  way  to 

cheir  new  masters.     Mr.  D told  me  that  twenty 

years  ago  on  visiting  any  of  the  islands  he  was 
received  with  more  deference  and  servility  than  if 
he  had  been  an  admiral.  Emulating  the  example 
of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  they  would  spread  their  gar- 


1 


THE  ALEUTES— Continued 


93 


ments,  or  whatever  was  at  hand,  over  the  mud,  that 
he  might  walk  over  it  dry  shod.  Or  again,  he  would 
be  lifted  on  their  shoulders,  and  in  this  triumphant 
manner  be  carried  long  distances.  It  was  not  many 
years,  however,  before  they  realized  their  independ- 
ence. Now  the  motto  is  with  them,  as  everywhere 
else  throughout  our  broad  land, "  Liberty,  equality, 
fraternity." 

Old  "  Rufe,"  the  former  chief  of  the  Oonalaska 
tribe,  is  quite  a  character.  He  is  by  birth  a  Sibe- 
rian, from  the  vicinity  of  Behring  Straits.  A  pomp- 
ous, stout  old  fellow,  who  wore  drawn  over  his 
other  habiliments  a  huge  yellowish  woolen  shirty 
which  doubled  his  already  generous  proportions. 
With,  besides  that,  high  top  boots,  a  cap,  and  a  pipe 
in  his  mouth  he  presented  a  most  remarkable  appear- 
ance. He  has  acquired  European  manners,  and 
never  failed  to  make  me  a  profound  bow,  at  the  same 
time  lifting  his  cap.  His  personal  appearance  and 
manners  were  so  at  variance  the  contrast  was  ludi- 
crous. Bufe  was  a  bete  noir  to  the  small  fry  of  the 
village,  who  vanished  at  his  approach. 

The  old  chief  is  a  pensioner  of  the  company,  and 
in  remembrance  of  his  past  services  they  are  all 
very  kind  to  him.  The  old  fellow  often  speaks  of 
the  good  times  now,  as  compared  with  the  "  Rus- 
sian time,"  as  he  calls  it,  and  shakes  his  head  as  if 
wishing  to  cast  out  some  unpleasant  remembrance  of 
days  gone  by.  He  seldom  becomes  confidential 
except  when  under  the  influence  of  a  goodly  allow- 


94 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


ance  of  "  qiiass,"  when  he  will  tell  how  one  of  the 
agents  of  the  olden  time  used  to  hold  him  account- 
able for  the  good  conduct  of  the  other  employes  of 
the  company,  and  would  take  him  to  the  "big  house" 
and  whip  him  when  any  of  them  neglected  their 
work. 

The  event  of  his  life,  however,  was  a  visit  to  San 
Francisco.  On  his  return  he  described  the  cable 
cars  as  being  propelled  by  horses  underneath  the 
ground.  He  was  ever  after  of  much  more  impor- 
tance in  the  eyes  of  his  tribe. 

I  will  relate  here  an  anecdote  of  an  Indian  from 
the  Thlinket  tribe.  Another  Indian  killed  a  white 
man,  for  which  he  was  taken  to  Sitka,  tried,  found 
guilty  and  sent  to  San  Quentin — a  Staters  prison 
near  San  Francisco — for  two  years.  On  his  return  he 
expatiated,  for  the  benefit  of  his  brother  Indians, 
on  the  wonders  he  had  seen.  Whereupon  one  of  the 
Indians,  seeking  similar  fame  and  wanting  to  see 
the  world,  attempted  to  kill  another  white  man.  He 
was  prevented,  however,  and  on  inquiring  of  him 
what  he  wanted  to  kill  him  for,  he  replied  **He 
wanted  to  go  to  San  Quentin,  too." 

The  ceremonies  pertaining  to  the  Greek  church  are 
strictly  observed  by  all,  both  Aleutes  and  Russians. 
At  Christmas  time  they  go  about  from  house  to 
house  singing  carols,  if  so  they  may  be  called.  This 
is  kept  up  for  several  nights.  Near  that  time  they 
have  a  grand  carnival,  or  something  resembling  one. 
Assuming  various  grotesque  costumes  and  disguises 


m  ^ 


-Vy-WfiWIP  "^WlPrTT 


THE  ALEVTE8— Continued 


96 


they  are  ready  for  excess  of  every  kind.  The  "quass" 
flows  freely.  One  style  of  costume  is  a  suit  made  of 
coal-sacks  sewn  together.  They  also  put  on  the 
skins  of  wild  animals. 

Immediately  preceding  Lent  they  walk  in  proces- 
sion with  lighted  candles  and  burning  incense,  con- 
ducted by  the  priest,  who  sprinkles  holy  water  on 
every  door  and  on  everybody  he  encounters. 

At  Easter  they  wander  to  and  fro  kissing  one 
another  promiscuously,  with  three  kisses,  one  on 
each  cheek  and  another  on  the  mouth.  The  doctor 
at  Oonalaska  relates  that  one  Easter  the  priest  came 
to  him  for  some  ointment  to  put  on  his  lips,  saying 
he  had  a  great  deal  of  kissing  to  do,  and  wanted  to 
prevent  any  danger  of  contracting  any  lip  disease 
they  might  have. 

A.  Greek  marriage  ceremony  is  very  quaint. 
The  bride  and  groom  hold  lighted  candles  in  their 
hands,  and  on  their  heads  wear  tinsel  crowns. 
These  are  always  of  such  an  enormous  size,  unless 
the  heads  of  the  happy  pair  are  unusually  large, 
they  are  apt  to  slip  over  the  ears  down  on  the  neck. 
They  stand  each  with  one  foot  on  a  red  handker- 
chief, which  afterward  h  claimed  by  the  priest's 
assistant.  The  priest  intones  a  long  and  monoto- 
nous service  in  the  Russian  language  ;  at  intervals 
thtf  bride  and  groom  say  '  da"  (yes),  while  at  every 
few  sentences  from  the  priest  the  choir  of  men  chant 
a  few  words.  Musical  instruments  are  never  used 
in  the  Greek  church.     Among  these  Russians  no 


* 


4 
'i    ■ 


p^p 


96 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


female  singers  are  said  to  be  allowed.  But  at  Sitka, 
while  attending  services  there,  I  distinctly  saw  some 
two  or  three  half-grown  girls,  barely  hidden  by  the 
screen,  behind  which  the  choir  is  placed.  The  sing- 
ing at  the  latter  place  is  very  good  indeed,  they 
have  a  really  musical  leader,  which  may  account  for 
it.  At  Oonalaska,  while  I  was  there,  the  leader  was 
away,  which  was  a  fortunate  circumstance.  Doctor 

C told  me,  as  the  singing  was  worse  when  he 

was  present.     It  was  fairly  excruciating  as  it  was. 

When  baptized  the  infants  are  made  to  swallow  a 
teaspoonful  of  the  holy  water.  During  this  inter- 
esting operation  the  assistant  holds  the  baby's  head 
while  the  priest  administers  the  dose. 

For  every  death  that  occurs  at  Oonalaska  a  coffin 
has  to  be  made,  none  being  kept  on  hand.  While 
I  was  there  a  poor  woman  lay  dying  of  con- 
sumption. Anticipating  her  death,  her  husband 
began  her  coffin  several  days  before  she  died.  The 
funeral  procession  passed  the  "  big  house,"  and  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  gaudily  trimmed  coffin,  on 
which  was  festooned  pale  blue  cambric,  caught  up 
with  bows  of  ribbon.  Over  the  body  was  thrown  a 
colored  cloth.  Four  Indians,  the  husband  being  one 
supported  the  coffin,  while  behind  followed  a  few 
stragglers.  Thus  wended  the  sad  procession  to  the 
burial-ground,  a  mile  or  so  distant.  They  chanted 
funeral  dirges  all  the  way  to  the  grave. 

The  moral  condition  of  the  Aleutes  is  very  low. 
Most  of  them  seem  to  have  very  little  idea  what 


THE  ALEVTES— Continued 


97 


morality  means.  The  Greek  church  does  not  sanc- 
tion immorality  exactly,  but  it  does  not  interfere  to 
any  great  extent,  for  it  is  a  fact  that  it  exists  ;  and 
the  church  exists,  and  notwithstanding  the  mriny 
religious  observances  kept  up,  immorality  does  not 
decrease. 

On  the  islands  farther  to  the  westward,  such  as 
Atkha  and  Attoo,  are  found  a  species  of  grass  which 
the  natives  deftly  weave  into  very  pretty  baskets. 
These  they  ornament  in  cross-stitch  with  different 
colors  of  wool  or  yarn.  They  are  entirely  different 
from  the  basket-work  done  by  the  tribes  of  Alaska 
proper.  They  use  no  dyes  of  any  sort.  This  grass 
does  not  grow  all  over  the  islands,  and  the  basket- 
makers  are  thus  confined  to  very  few  of  them. 

In  his  report  of  "  Population,  Industries  and 
Resources  of  Alaska,"  Ivan  Petrof  speaks  of  a  bas- 
ket made  by  an  old  woman  of  Atkha,  on  which  she 
worked  six  years.  It  was  a  marvel  of  patient  industry 
and  beauty.  The  grass  used  in  the  finest  work  is 
often  not  much  thicker  than  a  thread.  Exquisite 
cigarette  cases  are  made  thus,  but  these  are  very 
rare,  because  of  the  great  length  of  time  and  labor 
necessarily  taken  to  make  them.  Aside  from  that 
there  is  no  market  for  them. 

The  natives  are  generally  very  ingenious  at  mak- 
ing fancy  articles,  of  the  silky  skin  obtained  from 
the  intestines  of  the  sea-lion.  We  were  shown  by  a 
gentleman  the  pericardium  of  a  bear's  heart,  so  care- 
fully skinned  it  was  intact.     I  never  imagined  a 

Crttibb  of  the  "Rush."  7 


98 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH' 


m: 


bear's  heart  to  be  so  large,  inflated  it  was  almost  as 
large  as  a  good-sized  football. 

With  this  thin  skin  they  make  tobacco  pouches, 
needlework  cases,  and  other  fancy  articles,  ornament- 
ing many  of  them  with  colored  silk  thread  in  a 
chain  stitch  embroidery,  and  fastening  on  them  the 
finest  of  fleecy  white  feathers,  obtained  from  the 
breast  of  the  sea-gull  and  other  birds,  which  they 
put  on  like  a  fringe.  This  is  a  favorite  trimming 
with  them,  and  gives  a  very  light  and  pretty  effect. 

I  was  kindly  presented  by  a  gentleman  Mr.  B , 

living  at  Oonalaska,  and  in  the  employ  of  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company,  with  two  beautiful  cigarette 
cases  made  by  the  Indians  of  Atkha.  One  was  of 
straw  exquisitely  braided,  each  strand  being  scarce 
thicker  than  a  thread.  It  takes  the  maker  an  entire 
winter  to  finish  one  of  them,  so  much  time  and  care 
is  required.  They  are  for  that  reason  very  rare.  The 
other  case  was  ingeniously  woven  of  colored  embroi- 
dery silks  in  stripes  of  different  colors.  The  warp 
was  of  the  straw,  the  woof  of  the  silk. 

Aside  from  the  above-mentioned  articles  very  little 
else  is  now  made  on  the  Aleutian  Islands  in  the  line 
of  curios,  and  these  are  becoming  more  scarce  every 
year,  there  being  no  demand  there  for  them,  as  at 
Sitka. 


t  ;, 


mmmmmmmm. 


F 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

GOVERNMENT   OP  THE    ALEUTIAN    ISLANDS. 

|HE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS  is  the  name  only 
^  properly  applied  to  the  western  half  of  that 
group  of  islands  extending  from  the  peninsula  of 
Alaska  to  nearly  the  Asiatic  coast,  and  dividing  the 
Pacific  Ocean  from  Behring  Sea.  The  eastern  half 
of  the  islands,  not  including  Kadiak,  are  called  the 
Shumagin  group.  They  are  commonly  referred  to, 
however,  as  the  Aleutian  Islands.  The  first  group 
comprises  Attoo,  Atkha,  Oonalaska  and  Akutan  ; 
the  second  group  are  Ounga,  Nagai,  Popoff,  Seminofif 
and  Senahk.  The  ones  I  have  mentioned  are  the 
largest  and  most  important. 

Being  part  of  Alaska  the  Aleutian  Islands  are 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Governor  of  Alaska, 
who  lives  at  Sitka,  its  capital.  But  separate  Govern- 
ment officials  are  appointed  at  Oonalaska  and 
Kadiak. 

At  Oonalaska  there  is  a  deputy  collector  of  cus- 
toms appointed  by  th  e  collector  of  customs  at  Sitka, 
a  deputy  marshal,  appointed  by  the  marshal  at  Sitka, 
and  a  justice  of  the  peace,  perhaps  more  properly 
speaking  a  United  States  Commissioner.  The  latter 
is  empowered  to  try  civil  suits  when  less  than  $250 
is  at  stake.     Any  more  serious  cases  are  referred  to 

(99) 


■Hi 


100 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


Sitka.     In  the  case  of  the  murderer  at  Sand  Point 

who  shot  at  Mr.  O'B ,  and  also  shot  at  and  killed 

an  old  man,  Mr.  Dingley,  on  the  same  occasion, 
which  circumstance  I  have  already  related,  the 
murderer  was  taken  to  San  Francisco,  and  before  a 
United  States  Commissioner.  The  evidence  being 
sufficient  to  warrant  it  on  the  statements  of  several 
witnesses,  he  was  held  for  trial  and  taken  from  there 
to  Sitka.  As  there  is  no  direct  means  of  communi- 
cation between  Oonalaska  and  Sitka,  several  months 
often  elapse  before  anything  can  be  done,  the  only 
recourse  being  to  send  the  criminals  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  from  there  to  Sitka.  No  vessels  run 
between  San  Francisco  and  Oonalaska  during  the 
winter,  and  only  one  once  in  every  six  or  eight 
weeks  during  the  summer  months.  Therefore  jus- 
tice is  very  dilatory. 

At  the  Island  of  Kadiak  there  is  appointed 
another  deputy  collector  of  customs.  He  is  the  only 
Government  official  at  that  place. 

There  is  no  physician  at  Kadiak,  or  rather  St. 
Paul's,  on  Kadiak  Island,  though  the  town  is  more 
often  referred  to  as  Kadiak.  It  is  strange  that  in  a 
place  of  its  importance,  as  compared  with  other 
towns  in  Alaska,  there  is  no  resident  physician 
there.  The  Government  appoints  a  school-teacher  at 
St.  Paul's,  and  the  school  is  very  good.  There  are 
no  Protestant  mii^sionaries,  but  there  is  a  Russian 
priest.  ♦ 

The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  have  at  the 


I 


^immf  ^mmmfm' 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS. 


101 


different  stations  on  the  islands  their  own  employes, 
who  in  a  measure  exercise  an  influence  over  the 
Indians.  At  all  these  places  the  company  own  a 
number  of  houses,  and  have  therefore  the  right  and 
can  assume  enough  authority  to  compel  them  to 
keep  their  habitations  clean.  The  company  at  their 
own  expense  support  a  doctor  at  Oonalaska,  and  also 
one  on  each  of  the  islands  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George. 
At  Ounga  and  Belkovsky,  not  to  mention  a  number 
of  smaller  places,  there  are  no  physicians  at  all. 

The  Seal,  or  Pribylof,  Islands  are  in  charge  of  a 
special  Treasury  agent  and  three  assistants.  These 
four  live  on  the  islands  during  the  summer,  but  in 
winter  only  one  agent  remains  on  each  island.  The 
Alaska  Commercial  Company  have  a  superinten- 
dent, formerly  Dr.  McI ,  from  Vermont,  who  for 

twenty  years  has  held  that  position,  but  who  lately 
resigned  on  account  of  ill  health.  Ho  spent  his 
summers  at  the  Seal  Islands  and  winters  at  home, 
ill  Vermont.  Under  him  were  several  assistants, 
who  besides  performing  other  duties  helped  kill  the 
seals. 

An  agent  appointed  by  the  Alaska  Commercial 

Comj>any  resides  at  Oonalaska.     This  is  Mr.  N , 

who  b  in  charge  of,  and  looks  after,  the  company's 
interests  at  every  station  in  that  district,  compris- 
ing the  following  places  :  Oonalaska,  Ounga,  Belkov- 
sky and  St.  MicuaePs  These  are  the  principal  ones, 
the  rest  are  of  less  importance. 

There  are  stations  as  far  away  as  Atkha  and  Attoo, 


■  ■"  «  "■ iMHnan^nsaHnBip 


i  ! 


102 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


f 

i 

'[, 

f 

f 
i 

.... 

■  i 
i 

f(l 


but  they  are  visited  only  once  a  year.  At  each  of 
these  places  are  stores,  the  supplies  for  which  are 
furnished  by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company.  To 
these  stations  are  brought  the  furs,  gathered  by  the 

hunters  of  each  island.     Mr.  N makes  a  yearly 

trip  to  each  of  the  principal  stations,  gathering  up  all 
the  furs  secured  during  the  year,  which  are  conveyed 
to  Oonalaska,  and  from  there  to  San  Francisco  on 
the  company's  steamers,  the  only  direct  means 
of  communication  between  there  and  the  Aleutian 
Islands. 

At  Kadiak  there  is  a  similar  agent  and  special 
communication  with  San  Francisco  by  one  of  the 
company's  steamers,  running  between  these  places 
only.  At  this  center  are  gathered  in  all  the  furs 
from  Kadiak  Island,  Cook's  Inlet  and  other  points 
in  that  vicinity,  where  foxes  of  dififerent  kinds  and 
other  animals  are  plentiful. 

At  Oonalaska  the  schoolmaster  is  supported  by 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  as  are  also  those 
at  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  islands.  At  Belkovsky 
the  schoolmaster  is  supported  by  the  Greek  Church. 
At  Ounga  by  the  United  States  Government.  It  is 
probably  too  poor  to  support  one  elsewhere. 

Within  the  past  few  months  the  Methodist  Mis- 
sionary Society  has  sent  a  gentleman  and  his 
wife  to  Oonalaska.  The  gentleman  is  to  be  the 
schoolmaster,  and  his  wife  the  missionary.  The 
building  to  be  erected  is  to  cost  $2,000.  Let  u.«  hope 
the  poor  benighted  beings  on  the  other  islands  may 


I  f 


1 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS. 


103 


soon  have  similar  privileges  offered  them.  There 
are  no  other  missionaries  on  any  of  the  islands,  and 
none  have  ever  been  sent,  to  my  knowledge,  although 
the  Aleutian  Islands  have  been  in  our  possession  for 
over  twenty  years. 

Atkha  under  the  Russian  regime  was  the  central 
depot  of  the  fur  trade  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  and 
then  of  more  importance.  The  islands  of  Atkha  and 
Attoo  are  now  entirely  neglected.  They  are  visited 
only  once  a  year  'by  one  of  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company's  steamers.  Formerly  the  revenue  cutter 
paid  a  yearly  visit  there,  when  stationed  for  the  sum- 
mer in  Behring  Sea,  but  at  present  she  is  too  fully 
occupied  in  bringing  depredatory  ''sealers"  to  justice, 
to  devote  the  time  necessary  to  do  so. 

On  these  islands  the  people  are  very  poor,  destitute 
of  nearly  every  earthly  comfort,  yet  they  cannot  be 
persuaded  to  leave  their  homes,  though  they  have 
been  offered  inducements  to  move  farther  east, 
nearer  the  more  accessible  parts  of  the  islands. 

They  subsist  chiefly  on  fish.  Supplies  of  food  and 
clothing  are  taken  them  on  the  yearly  trip  of  the 
company's  steamer.  Their  number  is  very  small, 
the  population  of  both  Atkha  and  Attoo  aggregating 
but  about  two  hundred  souls  in  all. 

Attoo,  the  westernmost  of  the  Aleutian  islands,  is 
but  three  hundred  miles  from  Petropavlosky,  a  Rus- 
sian possession  on  the  Siberian  coast. 

In  a  late  law,  but  just  passed,  it  is  required  that 
the  Governor  of  Alaska  visit  the  Seal  Islands  once  a 


104 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


year.  It  is  to  be  hoped  he  will  not  confine  his  visits 
to  these  islands  alone.  They  are  the  most  prosper- 
ous. The  new  Governor  of  Alaska  impressed  us  all 
as  an  upright,  noble  Christian  man,  and  we  hope  he 
will  be  enat'iSd  to  do  much  good  among  these  poor 
people,  interceding  in  their  behalf  with  the  United 
States  Government  for  j  greater  supply  of  funds,  that 
they  may  have  both  teachers  and  preachers  sent 
them. 

After  the  transfer  of  Alaska  to  the  United  States, 
Government  troops  were  stationed  at  the  following 
four  places  :  the  Seal  Islands,  Oonaiaska,  Kadiak  and 
Sitka.  The  vandalism  displayed  by  them  in  the 
destruction  of  the  old  Russian  property  left  behind 
was  worthy  of  those  old  Vandals,  who  were  such 
famous  destroyers  as  to  have  left  to  us,  for  so  many 
ages,  their  nam3,  as  a  synonym  for  allacts  of  wanton 
destruction  and  pillage.  Evidences  still  remain  of 
their  atrocious  conduct,  not  only  in  visible  outward 
signs  but  in  the  minds  of  many  old  residents  of  these 
places. 

At  the  Seal  Islands  the  natives  have  almost  for- 
gotten the  military  occupation  of  1869-70.     Not  so, 

Mr  D ,  in  whose  mind  remains  vivid  the  picture 

of  the  lieutenant  in  command,  "who  in  an  awe  inspir- 
ing manner  marshaled  his  army  of  five  men,  with 
all  the  pomp  and  display  of  a  full-fledged  brigadier. 
But  the  destruction  by   the  revenue  officers,"  Mr 

D went  on  to  say,  "  of  several  barrels  of  liquor 

found  on  the  island  about  that  time  will  always  be 


•^ 


4\ 


1 

1 


\ 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS 


105 


Temembered  by  the  natives  as  the  greatest  calamity 
that  ever  befell  their  beloved  country." 

Each  village  has  its  "  chief"  or  •♦  toyon,"  who  is 
exempt  from  labor,  and  is,  to  use  a  term  expressive 
and  generally  understood,  "the  boss,"  as  it  Tere,  to 
whom  all  minor  difficulties  are  refeired.  He  speaks 
for  his  tribe.  In  this  capacity  served  "  Old  Rufe" 
till  he  was  deposed,  in  favor  of  a  younger  man.  He 
still,  however,  retains  some  authority. 

The  system  and  order  kept  up  by  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company  at  all  its  stations,  and  the  gen- 
eral politeness  and  gentlemanliness  of  its  employees 
combine  to  make  all  who  visit  these  islands  hope 
that  the  company  will  have  their  lease  renewed.  It 
could  not  be  in  better  hands. 

The  population  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  with- 
out including  Kadiak,  is  estimated  at  about  2,200  ; 
that  is  the  total  number  of  whiter,  Creoles  and 
Aleutes  together.  The  proportion  of  white  men  is 
comparatively  very  small.  The  Aleutes  number 
about  1,800. 


I 


m^fmm 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  FOURTH  OP  JULY  AT  OONALASKA. 

tHE  FOURTH  OF  JULY  dawned  clear  and 
lovely,  strange  to  aay,  for  it  is  so  proverbially 
rainy.  Put  away  somewhere  in  one  of  the  ware- 
houses of  the  company  were  found  several  packages 
of  cannon  crackers,  which  were  kindly  presented 
to  Emma  and  my  boys,  to  fire  at  pleasure,  and 
with  which  the  festivities  of  the  day  were  opened. 
Crowds  of  the  native  children  were  attracted,  and 
great  was  their  delight  on  being  allowed  to  have 
some  to  fire  also. 

About  ten  A.  m.  there  was  a  drill  with  the  guns 
aboard  the  Rushf  preparatory  to  the  salute  to  be  fired 
at  noon.  Many  of  the  men  were  novices,  as  they 
had  but  just  shipped  before  leaving  San  Francisco. 
At  twelve  promptly,  the  principal  gentlemen  of  Oona- 
laska  having  been  invited  aboard,  a  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns  was  fired  by  our  four  guns,  ten  seconds 
between  each  shot.  The  salute  could  not  have  been 
fired  with  more  precision  and  absence  of  confusion 
by  old  men-of-war's  men,  and  we  felt  a  thrill  of 
exultant  pride  in  our  country,  in  whose  honor  the 
guns  boomed  out  on  the  still  air,  awakening  echoes 
among  the  vast  silent  hills  on  every  side,  so  long 
dumb  under  the  tyranny  and  oppression  of  years. 

(106) 


t 


THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY  AT  OONALASKA 


lor 


V 


Our  salute  was  bravely  answered  by  the  five  little 
Russian  guns  at  the  foot  of  the  flag-pole. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  our  "  Gatliug  gun  "  was 
put  upon  trial.  First  it  was  wheeled  up  the  plank 
walk,  mounted  as  it  was  on  a  carriage,  in  martial 
order  by  eight  of  our  men,  in  command  of  Lieut. 

D ,  and  drawn  up  under  the  American  flag  in 

front  of  the  company's  house,where  amid  the  hurrahs 
of  the  spectators,consistingof  most  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  and  sailors  from  the  different  vessels, 
a  volley  of  five  hundred  shots  was  fired.  The  thun- 
der of  the  continuous  rounds  from  the  marvelous 
little  gun  was  fairly  deafening,  as  it  swept  in  an  arc 
from  side  to  side  over  the  water,  tearing  the  rocks  at 
which  it  was  aimed,  some  thrc^  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant. I  shuddered  as  I  thought  of  the  destruction 
of  human  life  it  could  cause  should  it  be  aimed  at 
the  deck  of  a  vessel  or  a  regiment  of  men  on  a  field 
of  battle.  The  destruction  of  man  by  man  is  becom- 
ing  an  art  as  implements  of  war  are  becoming  more 
and  more  perfect.  Perhaps,  after  a  time  we  may 
leave  it  to  the  guns  themselves,  since  they  have 
invented  self-feeders  and  pit  against  each  other  the 
finest  of  mechanisms,  rather  than  the  bravest  of 
human  beings. 

Still  later  in  the  afternoon  we  were  all  on  the  qui 
vive  at  the  news  that  three  schooners  were  entering 
the  harbor.  There  were  now  left  in  port  only  the  Rush 
and  a  bark  unloading  coal  from  San  Francisco.  The 
schooners  were  unexpected  arrivals  and  at  first  we 


108 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


were  at  a  loss  to  determine  what  they  were,  or  what 
was  their  purpose  in  coming.  They  proved  to  be  pru- 
dent and  sagacious  *'  sealers,'*  who,  rather  than  brave 
the  arm  of  the  law,  in  the  shape  of  the  undaunted 
little  Rush,  preferred  to  come  in  peaceably  and  dis- 
cuss the  extent  of  their  liabilities,  should  they  insist 
on  venturing  on  prohibited  ground  in  quest  of  seals. 

My  husband  sent  a  lieutenant  to  board  them  and 
distribute  the  printed  proclamation  regardir3  the 
"  catching  of  the  seal  in  the  waters  of  Behring 
Sea,  as  punishable  by  fines,  and  confiscation,  etc." 
Reports  were  brought  by  them  of  forty  or  more 
sealers  at  Sand  Point,  of  whom  a  number  were 
British,  and  many  intended  running  the  risk  of 
being  caught,  and  sealing  where  they  pleased.  This 
was  not  pleasant  news  to  Captain  Shepard,  who  pre- 
ferred to  make  no  captures  if  possible,  but  who,  as 
usual,  was  determined  to  do  his  duty.  This  he  told 
them  plainly. 

The  sealers  v\rere  all  American  vessels.  One  cap- 
tain remarked,  "  He  would  stay  a  week  or  more  at 
Oonalaska  if  he  thought  there  was  any  probability  of 
the  Rush  bringing  back  a  **  Britisher,"  for  the  Rush 
soon  sailed  away  again  on  one  of  her  cruises.  She  was 
usually  absent  on  her  cruises  to  Seal  Islands  and 
vicinity  about  ten  days  or  tv/o  weeks.  Sure  enough 
the  three,  and  one  or  two  who  came  in  later,  did  stay 
in  hopes  of  seeing  a  captive  Englishman  brought 
back. 

The  American  sealers  were   so  exasperated  last 


- 


THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY  AT  OONALASKA 


100 


year  by  the  policy  of  President  Cleveland,  who  mak- 
ing it  understood  generally  that  seizures  would  be 
made  in  Behring  Sea,  as  in  the  year  previous 
(1887),  and  so  discouraging  them  from  coming  north, 
gave  sealed  orders  to  the  captains  of  the  Bear  and 
the  Rush,  to  be  operied  on  arriving  at  Oonalaska, 
to  the  effect  that  no  seizures  were  to  be  made.  At  the 
same  time,  the  Canadians  being  in  some  way 
informed  the  sea  would  be  opened  till  further  legis- 
lation in  the  matter.  Thus  the  latter  had  the  Sea  to 
themselves,  and  made  splendid  catches,  while  our 
sealers  remained  at  home.  Therefore,  this  year 
many  had  started  north  in  a  vindictive  mood,  and 
with  the  idea,  perhaps,  the  same  game  might  be 
played  in  '89. 

One   day,  while  the   Rush  was  away  on  one  of 

her  trips  to  the  Seal  Islands,  Dr.  C proposed 

we  should  go  to  "The  Forest."  My  curiosity 
was  aroused,  as  not  a  sign  of  such  a  thing  as  a  tree 
was  to  be  seen  anywhere.  It  was  a  bright  day,  and 
with  Emma,  an  unfailing  companion,  and  my  little 
boy,  we  started.  We  rowed  across  the  harbor, 
landed,  fastened  our  boat,  and  climbing  a  little  ele- 
vation, what  was  my  surprise  to  see  a  group  of  ever- 
greens spreading  their  branches  over  a  small  area, 
carpeted  with  pine  needles.  How  delightful  to  the 
eye  seemed  those  lonely  little  trees.  They  were 
gnarled  and  stunted,  but  still  trees,  and  growing, 
though  slowly.  They  were  planted  some  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago,  but  they  do  not  spread.     The  cone  does 


110 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


not  arrive  at  perfection.  We  seated  ourselves  under 
their  shade,  though  not  for  protection  from  the  sun, 
whose  mild  beams  were  more  grateful  than  other- 
wise, but  for  the  novelty  of  the  thing.  We  then 
spread  out  and  ate  the  scanty  lunch  I  had  provided 
at  the  last  minute. 

In  these  trees  owls  make  their  nests  very  early 
every  spring,  for  they  had  abandoned  them  by  the 
time  we  were  there.  Near  the  trees  there  was  a 
small  lake,  which  added  to  the  pretty  picture, 
inclosed,  as  it  was,  by  the  low,  green  hills.  With 
the  trees  near  by,  it  looked  like  a  bit  of  home 
scenery. 

On  one  of  the  clear  days  we  had,  a  day  such  as 
the  Neapolitans  could  scarce  rival,  I  wandered  to  the 
hills.  The  sea,  shimmering  in  the  golden  light  of 
the  sun,  was  of  that  deep  turquoise  blue  one  reads 
about,  but  so  rarely  sees.  The  sky  above  was  one 
great  opal  of  flaming  fire  about  the  horizon,  deepen- 
ing toward  the  zenith  into  the  color  of  the  sea.  The 
sea  was  framed  in  by  snow-covered  mountains,  glit- 
tering in  their  white  purity,  through  the  translucent 
atmosphere  against  the  tinted  background  of  the 
sky  ;  at  their  feet  nestled  the  lower  hills,  "  clothed 
in  living  green."  The  shadows  thrown  by  them  and 
reflected  in  the  clear  blue  water  below,  in  varying 
shades  of  purple  and  gray,  were  indescribably  beau- 
tiful. 

In  a  warm,  sheltered  side  of  a  hill  overlooking 
the  lovely  harbor   and   surrounding  hills,  among 


THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY  AT  OONALASKA 


111 


which  the  sea  flowed  calm  and  beautiful,  I  found  a 
soft,  dry  seat  on  the  rich,  thick  carpet  of  moss  and 
dried  grass,  which  covers  the  hills  where  I  lay 
dreamily  looking  at  the  enchanting  view  spread  out 
before  me.  I  asked  myself,  could  this  be  the  same 
spot  which,  till  within  so  short  a  time  had  been  so 
cold,  gloomy  and  wintry,  so  dreary  and  uninviting, 
now,  by  the  magic  of  the  sun's  light,  transformed,  as 
if  by  the  waving  of  a  fairy's  wand,  in  our  childish 
fairy  tales,  to  this  scene  of  dazzling  beauty  ?  Wild- 
flowers  bloomed  at  my  feet  and  all  around  me  in 
profusion.  The  sun's  warm  beams  diffused  a  gentle 
heat,  which  made  all  nature  seem  to  expand  and 
grow — each  little  flower  lifting  its  face  to  greet  the 
unwonted  blessing. 


^■■■i 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE    FIRST   SEIZURE    AND   OTHER   MATTERS. 

^ATURDAY,  JULY  13th,  the  Rush  returned  ta 
Oonalaska  from  one  of  her  cruises,  and  my 
husband  informed  me  he  had  captured  "a  Brit- 
isher." This  news  afiforded  intense  satisfaction  to 
the  awaiting  American  sealers  in  port.  Her  name 
was  the  Black  Diamond.  A  sailor  from  the  Rush, 
called  Hakinson,  was  put  aboard,  all  spears  and 
weapons  of  every  kind  were  taken  from  the  hunters 
on  board  of  her,  and  she  was  sent  to  Sitka  for  law 
proceedings.  There  were  seventy-eight  sealskins 
found  aboard.  Twenty  Indian  hunters  from  Van- 
couver Island  and  a  few  white  sailors  made  up  her 
crew.  The  former  were  not  at  all  pleased  to  have 
their  weapons  taken  from  them. 

The  Black  Diamond  had  refused  at  first  to  stop 
when  commanded  to  do  so,  and  two  of  the  guns 
were  ordered  to  be  run  out,  on  seeing  which  prep- 
arations, she  surrendered  at  once.  '*  That's  the  way 
we  make  'em  stop,  ain't  it,  papa?"  cried  our  little 
five-year  old,  who  accompanied  his  father  on  that 
cruise,  and  jumping  up  and  down,  clapping  his 
hands,  when  on  running  out  the  guns  the  Black 
Diamond  "  hove  to."     It  was  doubtful  if  with  only 

one  man  aboard  to  take  her  to  Sitka,  he  would  not 

( n2 ) 


' 


•■t  » 


I 


73 
O 

CO 

■;;;  '* 


■<:  ^^  -^ 
'■  2  ■« 

/-Aw 


'  I  ^'^ '  p 


CHAf'TEK  XV. 


THE    FIRST    •  EIZUKl.     «  \'P    OTHER    MATTERS. 


^.A'J 


/;|'.ATUHDAY,  JULY  *,  the  i^ws^  returned  to 
^^j^  Oonalaska  from  on  •  oi'  her  cruises,  and  my 
husband  informed  mo  he  had  captured  "a  Brit- 
isher."    This  now-'  affordel  ii  tense  satisfaction  to 


the  awaiting  Ain>  ^ 

was  the  Black  Di    >.    ■ 
called  Ilakinaon,  va? 
weapons  of  every  kind  vr.* 
on  boord  of  her,  an«t    '  ' 
proceedings.      Tboro  wt 
found  aboard.     Tver;: 
couver  Island  and   a  fev 


lers  in  port.     Her  name 

V  sailor  from  the  Rushy 

board,    all   spears    and 

-  taken  from  the  hunters 

•    »'nt  to   ;  .tka  for  law 

vtty-eigiit    sealskins 

s.   hunters  from  Van- 

.      rs  made  up  her 


crew.     Tho  former  were  niii  mX  aW  pleased  to  havo 
their  weapons  tukoTi  from  M<'^m 

The  Black  Diamond  hiv 
when  commanded  to  do  ^< 
were  ordered  to  bf»  run  ci; 
arations,  she  sum  arJereil  • 
we  make  *em  stoj ,  ain't 
five-year  old,  who  actompanicd  his  father  on  that 
cruise,  and  jumpi  ii*  up  and  down,  clapping  his 
hands,  when  on  rmiring  out  the  guns  the  Black 
Diamond  "  hov»»  to.''  it  was  doubtful  if  with  only 
one  man  aboard   to  take  her  to  Sitka,  he  would  not 

(U2) 


i;^»Ml  at  lirst  to  stop 
.-.^d   two  of  the  guns 

ii   seeing  which  prep- 

?ice.     ''  That's  tho  way 

papa?"  cried  our  little 


h 


\ 


■i 


(1  to 
1  my 
Brit- 
on to 
namo 
Jiashf 
imd 
miters 
or  law 
ilskins 
1  Vau- 
up  her 
)  havo 

;o  stop 
e  guns 
li  prep- 
bo  way 
ir  little 
)ri  that 
ng  his 
^  Black 
th  only 
luld  not 


♦«.    ^•' 

V   » 

a:    ^ 

S  ^* 

i?i 

d  Th 

J3    a                1 

^      CQ                           1 

"f*                                    1 

^                                    ^ 

►    "^ 

<?.« 

<:  •«>. 

O     <5 

^,5 

^  C 

<V) 

^^V 

^  1 

(A      ^ 

^      » 

SO 

hoo 

ers, 

^§ 

.-    0 

u.   M 

U      o 

2  C/5 

•^    \. 

t    ^ 

4J   .^ 

51 

t«^       . 

.^    ^   -B 

<^    tn    a 

a  -^s  a 

«>    a    ed 

«  ca  ^ 

V     » 

O    1-     « 

c^i5 

SS   Id   a 

§«•; 

eS     OJ     y 

(U  A    cd 

■M    •<-"     K 

1      0    **• 

2^  " 

po  o  a 

p(i   a   o 

«<     «    CO- 

*»'  ■>  '^ 

ASK 

Peat 

ed  in 

t-l   TS      N                   I 

«tj  a  -S           1 

^    Cd    «               1 

o                 1 

o                1 

lp_       "^  '^■/w^ 


'^ 


THE  FIRST  SEIZURE  AND  OTHER  MATTERS        113 


;^i. 

ti ' 


be  overpowered  and  taken  by  the  captain  and  crew 
to  Victoria,  B.  C.,  instead  of  Sitka,  a  very  natural 
move  on  their  part.  Still  there  was  nothing  else  for 
my  husband  to  do. 

In  various  papers  a  great  ado  has  been  made  of 
this  act  on  the  part  of  my  husband,  by  those  who,  of 
course,  imagine  they  know  all  about  the  situation. 
How  could  Capt.  S— —  have  afforded  to  man  six  seal- 
ing-vessels  with  enough  men  from  his  own  crew  of 
thirty,  sufficient  to  overpower  the  crews  of  each 
individual  "sealer,"  on  which  the  number  of  men 
on  board  equaled,  if  not  exceeded,  the  whole  num- 
ber of  men  of  the  crew  of  the  Rush  f  Was  there 
anything  else  to  be  done  ?  Two  years  biefore  ('87) 
one  man  had  sufficed  and  fifteen  prizes  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  Rush  in  Sitka.  Many  imagine  the 
Rush  a  man-of-war,  manned  with  an  even  500  men 
or  so. 

Another  English  sealer  had  been  seen  and  boarded 
the  same  day,  but  no  skins  found  aboard  of  her, 
though  she  was  open  to  suspicion,  owing  to  her 
being  found  where  she  would  naturally  hunt  for 
them. 

This  was  the  Triumph,  whose  captain  and  crew 
boasted  "triumphantly"  on  arriving  at  Victoria 
that  they  had  been  sharp  enough  to  elude  the  vigil- 
ance of  our  first  lieutenant,  and  had  had  several 
hundred  skins  hidden  under  the  salt.  It  was  a 
matter  of  no  satisfaction  whatever  to  find  the  skins, 
either  to  the  officers  or  captain  of  the  Rush.    It  was 

Cruise  or  the  "  Rush."  8 


114 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


n 


not  a  personal  matter  and  they  were  very  glad  when 
none  were  found. 

The  captain  of  the  Black  Diamond  said  he  had 
been  ordered  by  the  owners  of  the  vessel  not  to  sur- 
render unless  forced  to.  Ho  would  not  deliver  u;> 
his  papers  ;  therefore  my  husband  had  to  ordt 
the  desk  in  which  they  were  to  be  brokeu  open. 
Altogether  their  policy  seeme  i  resistance  to  the  end, 
and  thus  if  any  force  had  to  be  resorted  to,  the  story 
of  their  abuse,  etc.,  by  the  commander  of  the  Rushf 
would  appeal  more  strongly  to  the  public  in  general. 

Why  cannot  England  yield  without  contesting 
such  a  small  matter  of  revenue  to  her  ?  By  not 
doing  so,  perhaps  *avolving  our  two  great  nations 
in  a  disgraceful  wrangle  over  a  few  skins.  The 
United  States  has  paid  for  her  rights. 

I   overheard  Capt.  S talking  on  deck  with 

one  of  the  captains  of  the  sealers  then  in  port.  He 
said,  "  If  you  go  into  the  sea,  you  will  run  the  risk 
of  being  captured,  I  can  show  you  no  favor,  and 
my  advice  is  to  keep  out."  This  he  said  to  all. 
Thus  warned  it  wo'ild  be  to  their  great  disadvan- 
tage if  they  were  captured.  Several  pru»'«^v  ,ly 
decided  to  devote  themselves  simply  to  fishing 
outside  the  Sea. 

The  Indians  are  more  successful  vd  favoring  seal 
than  the  white  men.  Their  methoci  is  iin-j .  They 
imitate  the  cry  of  the  young  seal,  by  this  means 
attracting  the  older  seals,  who,  being  very  curious 
animalsj  crowd  around  the  vessel.    At  a  distance 


i.,". 


mJL 


i 


■M^ 


J 


THE  FIRST  SEIZURE  AND  OTHER  MATTERS         115 

of  ten  or  twenty  feet  they  throw  their  spears  at  them. 
The  spears  of  the  Vancouver  Indians  differ  from 
those  of  the  Aleutes.  Those  of  the  former  are 
very  long,  a'cout  ten  feet,  and  as  large  in  circumfer- 
ence as  a  broomstick,  with  a  prong  at  one  end.  They 
are  sometimes  tipped  with  bone.  I  could  not  under- 
stand how  they  used  them,  and  had  no  opportunity 
of  finding  out,  but  supposed  they  stunned  the  seal 
with  them  by  striking  them  on  the  head.  They 
seemed  too  blunt  to  penetrate  the  skin.  The  skull 
of  the  seal  is  very  easily  crushed.  The  Indians  lose 
a  seal  much  less  often  than  the  white  men,  who  kill 
them  with  guns. 

I  was  delighted  at  the  capture  of  the  sealer,  because 
that  meant  we  would  go  to  Sitka  from  Oonalaska  in 
the  fall,  pending  the  trials  going  on  there,  thus  afford- 
ing me  opportunity  of  seeing  still  more  of  that 
northern  country. 

The  Dora  arrived  ou  the  following  Monday  from 
St.  Michael's.  They  hid  had,  Mr.  N said,  a  pleas- 
ant trip,  though  they  had  encountered  a  great  deal 
of  ice — a  very  unusual  occurrence  at  that  time  of 
the  year  below  Behring  Straits.  It  was  in  the  form 
of  icebergs,  which  are  uncommon  in  the  Sea,  in  fact 
unknown,  at  least  of  the  size  of  those  found  in  the 
North  Atlantic,  but  these  were  formed  of  great  pieces 
of  ice  frozen  together  during  ihe  ice  jams,  and  because 
of  the  long  duration  of  the  cold  northerly  winds 
had  reiuained  unmelted.     They  were  thought  to  be 


mi^mm 


116 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


t 


?■ 
i 


aground  in  the  shallow  water  around  the  mouth  of 
the  Yukon. 

At  the  sai;  ?  ^'<^q  the  winter  on  the  mainland  in 
the  vicinity  oi  ;  Yukon  had  been  the  mildest  on 
record.  There  had  been  much  rain  and  th?  river 
had  risen  to  a  greater  height  than  ever  before,  as 
shown  by  investigating  the  highest  tide  marks. 
Owing  to  this  unprecedented  behavior  on  the  part 
of  the  river  a  great  deal  of  gold  ore,  accumulated  on 
the  banks^  which  had  been  taken  from  its  bed,  had 
been  washed  away,  and  if  not  lost,  at  any  rate 
requiring  the  long  hard  labor  of  months  to  get 
together  again. 

The  Dora  also  brought  news  of  the  wreck  and 
loss  of  life  on  the  whale-ship  Little  Ohio,  which  up 
to  this  time  had  remained  unheard  from.  She  waa 
one  among  the  number  supposed  to  have  been  lost, 
perhaps  crushed  in  the  ice,  to  whose  assistance  the 
Bear  was  proposed  to  be  sent,  in  the  fall  of  1888. 
She  was  the  only  one  not  finally  reported.  Now  at 
last  was  the  fact  made  known,  of  the  total  loss  of 
the  vessel,  and  also  the  sad  story  of  the  death  by 
drowning  and  starvation  of  thirty  lives.     This  news 

was  obtained  by  the  Thetis.     Mr.  N met  Captain 

S — — ,  the  commander  of  the  Thetis,  in  St.  Michael's. 

Captain    S had  then  already  been  up  in  the 

Arctic,  where  he  had  found  at  Point  Hope  the  eight 
remaining  survivors  of  the  Little  Ohio.  Two  of  them 
came  on  the  Dora  to  Oonalaska,  on  their  way  to  San 
Francisco.     The  Little  Ohio  had  struck  on  a  rock  in 


* 


t 


«#• 


*l 


THE  FIRST  SEIZURE  AND    OTHER  MATTERS        117 

a  terrible  gale.  At  the  time  two  vessels  were  near 
her  and  saw  the  signals  of  her  distress,  but  were 
unable  to  render  her  any  assistance.  A  boat  was 
put  off  from  the  wreck,  containing  a  large  number  oi 
the  crew,  but  had  been  capsized,  or  at  least  that  was 
the  supposition,  as  she  was  never  seen  or  heard  of 
again. 

The  reports  of  the  details  of  the  terrible  disaster 
were  very  meager,  as  they  were  obtained  from 
natives,  and  in  stray  fragments,  which  were  put 
together  as  best  they  could  be.  The  captain  and  two 
mates  were  lost. 

A  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Dora  with  this 
sad  news  the  Rush  returned  again.  We  had  discov- 
ered her  at  quite  a  distance,  and  besides  her  another 
vessel  equally  as  large.  Till  she  was  within  a  short 
distance  we  were  unable  to  make  out  what  the  com- 
panion of  the  Rush  might  be.  She  was  too  large  to 
be  a  sealer,  we  thought.  The  Rush  was  towing  her 
in.  Our  curiosity  was  soon  satisfied ;  she  was  a  whale 
ship,  commanded  by  Captain  Smith,  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  had  been  several  months  on  her  way,  cruis- 
ing from  place  to  place  in  search  of  whales,  though 
she  had  found  only  one.  When  the  Rush  came 
across  her  she  was  sailing  about  in  an  aimless  fashion 
among  the  islands  trying  to  find  Oonalaska,  where 
her  captain  hoped  to  get  a  supply  of  fresh  water  and 
provisions.  My  husband  offered  to  show  th^  captain 
the  way,  and  towed  her  into  the  harbor,  for  which 
favor  he  seemed  very  grateful. 


■'^W^W" 


i 


118 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


In  a  conversation  with  Captain  Smith  he  corrob- 
orated and  added  to  the  accounts  of  the  wreck  of 
the  Little  Ohio  we  had  already  received.  He  also 
told  us  the  pitiful  story  of  the  terrible  and  agonizing 
suspense  of  eight  months  the  wife  of  the  captain  of 
the  Ohio  had  suffered.  She  was  the  mother  of  three 
little  children,  with  no  other  means  of  sustenance 
than  that  provided  by  her  husband's  precarious  suc- 
cess in  whaling.  She  had  nearly  lost  her  mind  in 
the  awful  suspense,  and  now  the  worst  news  that 
could  be  told  would  soon  reach  her.  God  pity  and 
protect  the  poor  widowed  mother  !  The  chief  mate 
on  board  the  wLale-ship,  from  whom  Captain  S 
had  learned  these  facts,  lived  next  door  to  the 
sorrow-stricken  woman. 

The  name  of  this  whaler  was  the  Stamboul.  Thirty 
years  ago  my  husband,  while  So^ll  a  boy,  saw  her  in 
the  Mediterranean — after  all  these  years  again  at 
Oonalaska.  How  interesting  a  history  might  be 
written  about  some  of  these  old  ships  and  their 
wanderings,  trials  and  adventures,  and  different 
uses  to  which  they  have  been  put. 

For  instance,  the  Harriet  Lane :  At  first  she  was  a 
revenue  cutter,  then  a  side-wheel  steamer.  She 
accompanied  several  naval  vessels  on  an  expedition 
to  Paraguay  to  settle  some  difficulty  there.  During 
the  civil  war  she  was  transferred  to  the  navy.  While 
serving  in  the  war  she  was  captured  by  the  Confed- 
erates. At  the  end  of  the  war  the  Harriet  Lane  was 
found  abandoned  at  Havana,  unclaimed  by  any  one. 


i 


mim 


t 


THE  FIRST  SEIZURE  AND  OTHER  MATTERS 


119 


A  revenue  cutter  was  sent  after  her  by  the  President, 
and  she  was  finally  sold  at  auction  and  turned  by  her 
new  owner  into  a  sailing-vessel,  In  1880  she  was 
carrying  ice  and  hay  from  Boston  to  Mobile,  Ala., 
where  I  went  aboard  of  her.  During  her  career  as 
a  revenue  cutter  she  had  had  the  honor  of  carrying 
aboard  the  Prince  of  Wales  when  he  visited  this 
country  in  *59.  She  was  named  after  Buchanan's 
beautiful  niece,  Harriet  Lane. 

The    day    the  Dora   arrived  we  had   for  dinner 

some  delicious  wild  goose  eggs  Mr.  N brought 

from  St.  Michael's.  Wild  geese  are  found  there  in 
immense  numbers.  These  eggs  were  not  at  all  fishy » 
as  most  of  the  sea-birds'  eggs  are. 

Aboard  the  Dora  was  a  poor  Italian  priest,  a  native 
of  Sicily,  who  had  spent  a  year  on  the  Yukon,  and 
had  been  thoroughly  frozen  out.  His  health  had 
failed  him  owing  to  the  rigor  of  the  climate,  and 
he  had  been  compelled  to  leave.  Poor  fellow  ' 
Imagine  the  transition  from  Sicily  to  the  banks  of 
the  Yukon  I  At  the  latter  place  the  thermometer 
sinks  to  fifty  and  seventy  degrees  below  zero.  The 
houses,  of  course,  are  rudely  built,  wood  stoves  being 
the  only  means  of  heating  them.  Think  and  shud- 
der, of  slipping  off"  to  sleep  after  an  almost  vain  effort 
to  get  warm,  and  awakening  at  four  or  five  a.  m.  to  find 
the  fire  out,  and  the  thermometer  seventy  degrees 
below,  with  no  alternative  but  to  get  up  and  make  it. 
No  wonder  the  blood  froze  in  his  veins  and  almost 
ceased  to  nm.     He  showed  his  hard  experience  in 


*■« 


120 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


T 


his  face,  which  was  gaunt  and  thin.  He  left  afar  in 
that  lonely  region  several  sisters  (nuns),  who  have 
opened  a  school  there.  What  endurance,  what  devo- 
tion these  women  show — they  will  have  their  reward. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  learn  that  on  the  upper 
Yukon  birch-bark  canoes  are  used  by  the  Indians  or 
that  cold  clime,  as  formerly  did  the  "  noble  red  man" 
theirs  on  the  Hudson's  swift  flowing  tide.  Besides 
birch-trees,  there  are  to  be  found  on  the  banks  of  the 
Yukon  the  red  and  yellow  cedar. 

In  their  museum  at  the  Alaska  Commercial  Com- 
pany's office  in  San  Francisco  are  to  be  seen  a 
wonderfully  varied  collection  of  Alaskan  cuiios,  com- 
prising many  and  rare  pieces  found  among  the 
Aleutes  and  Eskimos.  Among  them  a  pretty  birch- 
bark  canoe  and,  of  course,  the  graceful  bid arka.  Also 
some  beautiful  bird-skin  parkas. 

Another  passenger  on  the  Dora  was  Dr.  Mc.  I , 

from  St.  Paul's  Island.  He  had  been  superintendent 
o^  the  Seal  Islands  for  twenty  years,  and  now  after 
this  long  service  had  resigned  on  account  of  ill 
health.  He  will  be  quite  a  loss  to  the  company,  as 
he  was  a  very  intelligent  and  able  man. 

News  was  brought  by  the  Dora  of  six  sealers  seen 
in  the  sea  on  her  way  to  Oonalaska.  My  hus- 
band was  evidently  to  have  his  hands  full,  if  he 
proved  sufficiently  vigilant. 

Dr.  C shot  a  magnificent  eagle  one  day,  the 

finest  we  had  yet  seen.    Eagles  might  be  seen  every 


t 


I 


THE  FIRST  SEIZURE  AND  OTHER  MATTERS 


121 


I 


•day  Dear  the  lofty  hilltops — how  glorious  their  flight, 
•80  calm,  so  majestic  I 

In  one  of  Harper's  Magazines  of  the  spring  of 
1889,  in  an  article  on  Russian  life,  is  a  picture  of  a 
family  scene  in  Russia — "Around  the  Samovar."  It 
reminded  me  '•f  our  table  at  the  "  big  house."  The 
samovar  is  universally  used.  Every  Russian  family 
must  own  a  samovar,  if  nothing  else.  The  "  chi" 
(tea)  is  served  in  glasses,  as  is  also  the  custom.  Out- 
side every  little  house  at  meal-time  as  one  passed 
-could  be  seen  the  samovar  emitting  its  small  wreath 
of  smoke,  in  preparation  for  the  making  of  the**  chi." 

Around  our  samovar  was  gathered  not  one  family 
but  members  of  several,  of  different  nationalities. 
I  have  mentioned  Mr.  N ,  a  Bavarian,  who  pre- 
sided.    Mr.  B was  an  Englishman,  Mr.  W 

a  German,  Dr.  C ,  Colonel  B ,  and  myself  all 

Americans,  though  from  far  different  States.  This 
made  up  the  number.  Questions  of  every  sort  were 
discussed;  among  them  the  political  and  other  news  of 
the  day,  such  as  was  gleaned  from  the  few  papers 
arriving  in  one  way  and  another  at  Oonalaska.  All 
these  gentlemen  were  literary  and  well  read.  Colonel 

B was  a  lawyer  and   a  war  veteran,   and   an 

authority  on  the    civil  war,  Mr.  N was   well 

versed  in  the  best  literature  of  France  and  Ger- 
many, as  was  Mr.  W ,  tlie  collector  of  customs. 

All  discussed  Russian  politics  and  were  conversant 
-with  Tolstoi.  Therefore  meal-time  was  a  very  pleas- 
ant one  to  me,  a  silent  but  appreciative  listener. 


122 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


I  determined  to  provide  myself  with  a  samovar, 
now  so  popular  at  afternoon  teas  in  New  York.  At 
one  of  the  warehouses  there  were  a  number  to  choose 
from,  of  different  sizes  and  shapes.  These  were 
directly  from  Russia,  which  enhanced  their  value.  It 
behooves  one  to  know  how  to  use  them,  by  no  means 
lighting  one  in  the  house,  as  so  many  do  on  first 
attempt.  The  samovar  is  set  out  of  doors,  and  when 
the  water  is  boiling  the  fire  is  removed,  and  then  it  is 
brought  in  and  put  on  the  table,  the  tea  already  hav- 
ing been  made  in  the  teapot  very  strong.  The  water 
in  the  samovar  is  merely  used  to  dilute  it.  They  are 
not  nearly  so  expensive  at  Oonalaska  as  at  Sitka, 
where  the  price  is  double.  At  Oonalaska  the  brass 
ones  cost  $1.15  a  pound.  They  are  quite  ornamental, 
even  if  not  put  to  use. 

One  bright  day  the  latter  part  of  June  I  took  my 
first  ride  in  a  bydarka.  It  is  the  very  poetry  of 
motion.  I  imagined  myself  in  a  gondola,  so  softly 
and  swiftly  did  we  glide  through  the  water,  only  the 
swish  of  the  paddle  breaking  the  stillness.  My  escort 

was  Dr.  C ,  who  was  an  expert  at  handling  one, 

after  an  experience  of  five  years  at  Oonalaska.  It 
is  strange  there  is  not  more  loss  of  life  among  the 
natives,  for  the  occupant  is  perfectly  helpless,  wedged 
in  as  he  is  while  sitting  in  them.  One  has  to  sit 
with  his  feet  stretched  out  perfectly  straight  and 
thrust  under  the  top  in  such  close  quarters  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  move  them.  Getting  in  and 
out  is  very  awkward.    They  are  as  light  as  birch^ 


THE  FIRST  SEIZURE  AND  OTHER  MATTERS 


123 


bark  canoes,  and  as  risky  to  navigate  in,  a  sudden 
gust  of  wind  being  almost  enough  to  capsize  them. 
The  Indians  living  on  these  islands  do  not  swim, 
the  water  is  too  cold,  and  thus  they  are  powerless  to 
help  themselves  if  upset. 

Sitting  up  at  night  as  I  used  to,  writing  and  read- 
ing in  the  little  library  at  Oonalaska,  I  could  hear 
and  see,  on  looking  out  of  the  window  at  about  ten 
or  eleven  o'clock,  a  solemn  procession  of  all  the  cows 
on  the  "  spit  " — as  they  call  the  little  peninsula  on 
which  Oonalaska  is  built — passing  over  the  plank 
walks,  directly  under  my  window,  silently ,  one  by  one. 
Every  night,  after  the  natives  begin  to  salt  their  fish 
and  hang  them  up  to  dry,  these  cows  leave  their  pas- 
ture and  wander  around  the  town  in  diligent  search  of 
them,  attracted  no  doubt  by  the  salt.  The  natives 
hang  their  fish  out  near  their  houses,  on  lines  and 
under  sheds  built  for  the  purpose.  These  have  to  be 
fenced  about  to  keep  the  cows  off.  The  red  salmon 
hanging  everywhere  in  festoons,  p*  dont  like  strings 
of  Chinese  lanterns,  were  more  picturesque  to  the 
eye  than  pleasant  to  the  smell. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


MORE 


"  sealers/' 


ETC.,    ETC. 


A^N  THE  15TH  OF  JULY  the  Rush  bore  down 
^^  on  the  English  sealer  Minnie,  from  Victoria, 
and  captured  her.  She  had  aboard  four  hundrr 
and  eighteen  sealskins.  The  captain  said,  in  ^ 
mournful  tone, "  She  is  all  I  own  in  the  world,"  and 
added  he  had  just  married  him  a  wife,  with  whom 
he  had  been  able  to  leave  but  $30,  and  now  he  would 
have  to  go  home  without  anything.  I  thought  he 
deserved  to  be  allowed  to  keep  his  vessel,  because  of 
his  truthfulness  in  regard  to  the  sealskins  he  had 
aboard  when  captured.  Instead  of  waiting  till  ques- 
tioned, he  said  at  once,  without  preliminaries,  he 
had  a  number  of  skins  aboard,  all  caught  in  the  Sea. 
The  majority  of  captains  would  have  concealed  the 
fact  till  the  last  minute  before  giving  up  their  cargo, 
forfeiting  at  the  same  time  their  vessels.  We  expected 
he  at  least  would  be  at  Sitka. 

A  captain  of  one  of  the  English  '*  sealers"  cap- 
tured, on  being  told  he  had  to  give  up  his  skins  and 
that  his  vessel  would  be  confiscated,  remarked  char- 
acteristically, **  But  it's  so  d— — nably  inconvenient, 
don't  you  know  1"     We  mentally  agreed  it  must  be. 

One  or  two  others  were  boarded,  but  no  skins 
found  aboard. 

(124) 


A 


mmfm 


MORE  "SEALERS,  "  ETC.,  ETC. 


18ft 


There  was  a  little  excitement  one  of  the  four  or 
five  days  the  Stamboul  was  at  Oonalaska  over 
the  escape  from  the  ship  of  one  of  the  crew.  The 
captain  had  asked  my  husband  to  use  his  authority 
and  forbid  the  landing  of  any  of  the  crew  of  his 
vessel  while  at  Oonalaska.  The  year  previous  there 
had  been  an  Aleute  killed  in  a  row  among  the  sailors 
who  were  ashore  from  a  whale-ship.  And  on  all 
occasions  when  the  men  had  been  allowed  freely  to 
land,  a  great  deal  of  disturbance  had  been  created. 
No  liquor  is  to  be  obtained  at  Oonalaska,  at  least 
none  is  sold  there.  But  in  some  unaccountable  way 
the  men  seem  to  procure  it,  or  it  may  be  the  native 
"  quass,"  which  answers  all  intents  and  purposes. 

Mr.   N was   most  desirous  not    to    have    the 

whale-ships   come  to   Oonalaska,  on  that  account. 

But  the  water-casks  from  the  Stamboul  had  to  be 
filled,  and  the  men  necessarily  had  to  come  ashore 
while  working,  one  of  them  thus  finding  an  oppor- 
tunity of  running  away.  On  the  discovery  being 
made  two  parties  of  men  from  the  Rush  were  sent 
out  in  different  directions.  One,  in  the  whale-boat, 
to  the  mine  a  few  miles  away,  the  most  likely  place 
he  would  hide,  while  the  other  party  went  over  the 
hills.  The  latter,  in  charge  of  the  master-at-arms, 
soon  saw  a  man  in  the  distance,  and  started  in  pur- 
suit. He  seemed  to  be  trying  to  evade  them  and 
they  followed  in  hot  haste,  to  find,  to  their  disgust, 
he  was  the  mate  of  the  Stamboul,  also  searching  for 


i 


126 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


the  runaway.  Ho  thought  to  have  a  little  sport  by 
leading  them  on. 

One  of  our  engineeio,  Mr.  C ,  had  started,  out 

of  desire  for  a  little  excitement,  to  aid  in  looking 
for  him.  As  he  walked  along  leisurely,  suddenly 
he  saw  the  man  crouching,  hidden  in  a  small  cavity 
in  the  side  of  the  hill,  who  on  perceiving  he  was 
discovered  put  his  hand  to  his  breast,  as  if  to  draw 

a  revolver  and  frighten  Mr.  C .     But  the  latter 

held  his  ground.  Again  he  stooped  as  if  to  draw 
from  his  boot   a   knife — sailors  often   carry   them 

there — but   still   Mr.   C ,   notwithstanding  the 

admonitions  of  some  of  our  men  who  had  come  up 
and  were  standing  near  did  not  retreat.  At  last 
seeing  he  had  not  produced  the  fright  he  intended, 
he  let  them  take  him,  meekly  enough.  He  was 
really  quite  harmless.  His  pockets  were  full  of  pro- 
visions, and  his  plan  was,  as  he  afterward  admitted, 
to  remain  hidden  till  his  ship  left  and  then  to  apply 
at  the  company's  office  for  work. 

Several   weeks   after   our   arrival  in   OonaUska, 

while  the   Rush   was   in   port,   Dr.  C brought 

aboard  with  him  one  day  all  the  fair  Russian  dam- 
sels of  Oonalaska,  Creoles,  as  they  are  called,  num- 
bering eight  or  ten.  He  told  us  privately  he  had 
hard  work  to  induce  them  to  renounce  the  little 
shawls  in  favor  of  hats,  the  former  of  which,  with 
all  the  rest  of  the  female  portion  of  Oonalaska,  they 

wear  commonly  on  their  heads.     Dr.  C is  the 

only  one  whom  they  seem  to  take  into  their  con- 


I 


MORE  "SEALERS,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


127 


fidence.  They  have  not  been  able  to  withstand  his 
social  disposition,  and  having  acquired  the  Russian 
language,  so  as  to  be  able  to  express  himself  quite 
fluently,  he  had  succeeded  in  finding  his  way  to  their 
heaiis. 

These  maidens  came  aboard  in  solemn  procession, 
and  were  formally  introduced.  They  had  very  nice 
manners  and  bowed  and  smiled  slightly  at  all 
remarks  addressed  to  them,  understanding  English 
perfectly,  but  on  no  account  uttering  a  word.  Now 
and" then  the  most  wide-awake  would  utter  a  feeble 
*' da"  (yes)  or  "nieto"  (no)  in  a  pretty  little  drawl- 
ing way.  When  they  call  separately  they  usually 
spend  the  afternoon,  but  during  this  time  remain 
perfectly  mute.  One  is  in  a  condition  to  fairly 
tear  one's  hair  before  their  visit  is  ended. 

After  being  entertained  in  the  wardroom  by  the 
officers  they  were  ushered,  at  my  request,  into  the 
cabin,  raartialed  in  by  th  doctor,  who  showed  him- 
self an  expert  in  maneuvering  his  little  company. 
It  devolved  on  me  to  do  the  honors,  of  course,  and  I 
made  frantic  efforts  to  draw  them  into  conversation 
wb  n'with  to  break  the  solemn  stillness  that  per- 
vaded the  cabin,  v/henever  the  doctor's  or  my  ideas 
flagged  for  want  of  encouragement.  But  my  efforts 
were  of  no  avail  ;  they  were  sphinx  like  in  their 
mute  fixedness.  At  the  proper  time  the  doctor  gave 
tb  e  word,  whereupon  they  all  rose  simultaneously, 
made  their  bows  and  he  martialed  them  out  again. 

They  were  then  shown  over  the  ship.     Afterward 


128 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


I  proposed  a  little  dance.  We  soon  found  one  of 
the  quartermasters  an  adept  on  the  accordion,  who^ 
by  the  way,  afterward  petitioned  to  go  to  Sitka  on 
one  of  the  captured  sealers,  and  so  left  us  musicless. 
The  decks  were  cleared  and  the  ball  began.  Thes^v 
girls  all  dance  very  well,  and  like  to.  There  were 
several  dancers  among  the  officers  aboard,  and  soon 
they  were  whirling  around  in  the  mazy  waltz,  but 
in  as  solemn  a  manner  as  if  it  had  been  some  reli- 
gious celebration.  In  an  hour,  it  then  being  near 
dinner-time,  and  the  doctor  probably  having  given 
them  the  hint,  they  seriously  and  demurely  came  up 
shook  hands  with  me  and  departed,  escorted  by 
their  quondam  partners  of  the  dance,  to  their 
respective  domiciles,  where  they  retired  into  their 
shells,  as  it  were,  and  remained  from  that  day 
unseen  and  unheard  of  for  several  weeks. 

I  was  amused  at  the  discovery  that  some  of  these 
young  ladies  had  never  seen  that  most  common  and 
useful  animal,  the  horse,  or  even  a  mule,  none  ever 
having  been  taken  to  Oonalaska. 

There  was  a  mule  at  Ounga,  which  at  first  nearly 
frightened  the  natives  to  death.  It  was  used  at  a 
mine  near  by.  After  they  found  out  it  was  nothing 
supernatural  they  lost  some  of  their  awe,  at  least 
enough  to  employ  themselves  hitting  it,  and  throw- 
ing things  at  it,  whereas  at  first  they  had  run  from 
it  in  fear  and  trembling.  After  a  while  the  sagacious 
beast  seemed  to  realize  the  dread  it  inspired  and 
began  to  chase  its  tormentors  the   moment  they 


MORE   "SEALERS,"  ETC.,   ETC. 


129 


appeared  in  sight,  which  soon  had  the  desired  effect, 
and  it  was  allowed  to  roam  in  poace.  Its  acuteness 
in  distinguishing  an  Aleute  from  a  white  man  was 
remarkable  With  his  white  owners  he  was  the  most 
docile  animal  in  the  world. 

CBVISK  or  THX  "  BCSH." 


T 


h- 


CHAPTER  XVIL 


A   TRAMP  OVER  THE   HILLS. 


Ti 


HERE  WERE  NOT  MANY  WAYS  of  employ- 
^  ing  one's  time  at  Oonalaska,  and  one  morning 
I  awoke  with  the  desperate  resolution  in  my  mind 
to  do  something  or  other,  I  did  not  care  what,  to 
break  the  monotony  of  my  existence.  I  announced 
my  firm  resolve  at  breakfast.  At  every  suggestion 
as  to  expeditions  by  boat  or  by  land  to  places  of 
interest,  I  met  with  opposition  and  remonstrance, 
owing  to  the  weather  and  general  humidity  of  land 
and  atmosphere  I  was  assured  that  August  was  the 
proper  month  in  which  to  indulge  in  those  things,  at 
least,  for  a  lady.  That  nettled  me,  and  determined 
me  to  persist  in  my  resolution.  After  breakfast  I 
wended  my  way  to  the  Hush  on  a  recruiting  expedi- 
tion. I  summoned  the  officers,  laid  my  proposition 
before  them,  and  endeavored  to  enlist  some  one  or 
two  in  such  a  good  cause. 

I  had  heard  of  very  beautiful  falls  an  indefinite 
number  of  miles  away ;  at  least  no  two  people 
seemed  to  agree  as  to  the  distance.  These  I  pro- 
posed to  the  officers  to  find. 

Of  course  the  first  question  asked  was,  "How  far 
is  it  ?"  I  stated  the  shortest  number  of  miles  I  had 
heard.     "  Well  I  that  was  rather  far,  and — well — he 

(180) 


T 


A  TRAMP  OVER  THE  HILLS 


131 


'I 


had  to  write  up  the  log."  Another  had  had  the 
"  mid-watch"  the  night  before  and  thought  he  would 
"  turn  in  and  take  a  little  sleep."  Others  candidly- 
said  they  never  walked  unless  they  had  to.  Lieu- 
tenant W said  he  would  take  a  little  walk  with 

me  ;  but  Mr.  D ,  our  chief  engineer,  spoke  up 

bravely  and  said,  "  Though  I'm  the  oldest  man  here, 

Mrs.  S ,  I'll  go."     I  could  always  depend  on  Mr. 

D .     We  took  a  forty-mile   horseback   ride  in 

Southern  California  once,  about  a  year  ago,  from 
which  we  have  hardly  yet  recovered.  I  clinched 
the  bargain  on  the  spot,  and  would  not  let  Lieuten- 
ant W back  out  either,  after  getting   him  to 

yield  that  much.  Then  hurrying  them  off  to  get 
ready,  for  my  motto  is,  *•  Strike  while  the  iron  is 
hot,"  I  hastened  back  to  the  house,  donned  my 
rubber  boots,  shortened  my  skirts,  and  took  my 
umbrella  for  a  possible  shower,  or  to  use  as  a  walk- 
ing-stick in  case  it  did  not  rain. 

As  is  generally  the  case  with  ladies,  I  was  ready 
first,  and  had  to  wait  what  seemed  to  me  an  inter- 
minable length  of  time  for  my  escorts.  At  last 
they  appeared,  Mr.  D bearing  a  napkin  contain- 
ing "  lunch,"  as  he  explained.  They  declared  the 
latter  the  whole  cause  of  the  delay,  which  I  rather 
doubted  when  at  lunch-time  I  found  a  few  slices  of 
bread  and  bacon,  and  a  box  of  sardines,  unopened 
at  that,  the  whole  cause  of  the  delay.  However,  it 
was  enough  they  were  there,  and  at  last  ready  to 
start. 


jy 


132 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH 


:    i: 

I'   r 


We  walked  cheerfully  along  for  a  mile  or  two, 
over  a  tfail  already  known  to  us,  and  then  struck 
the  trail  we  sought.  After  following  it  a  short  dis- 
tance a  beautiful  view  met  our  eyes.  A  large  valley 
spread  out  before  us  in  the  shape  of  a  gigantic  oak- 
leaf,  the  sharp  spurs  of  the  mountains  making  the 
deep  indentations,  and  a  little  river  forming  the 
principal  or  mid  vein,  while  numbers  of  other  little 
streams  running  into  it  from  off  the  mountain  sides 
formed  the  smaller  veins.  Immediately  before  us 
spread  out  a  lovely  little  lake,  upon  whose  quiet 
bosom  a  few  game  ducks  peacefully  swam,  uncon- 
scious of  danger.  They  truly  had  no  need  to  fear 
us,  for  our  only  firearm  was  a  revolver,  useless  at 
that  distance.  We  uttered  exclamations  of  delight 
as  our  eyes  roamed  over  the  scene.  On  either  side 
the  mountains  towered  majestically,  their  sides  cov- 
ered with  the  still  remaining  snow. 

We  hurried  along,  eager  to  explore  this  lovely 
region  farther.  Ever  and  anon  new  wild-flowers 
met  our  eyes,  dainty  bluebells,  pink  daisies,  blue 
flags,  anemones,  the  moccasin  plant,  and  so  on, 
fairly  carpeting  the  lower  hills  and  low  land  with 
their  bright  colors,  rivaling  the  broad  "  llanos" 
around  San  Antonio,  Texas,  in  their  brilliant 
beauty.  We  walked  on  and  on ;  now  the  hills 
became  more  rugged,  deeper  canyons  divided  them, 
at  the  bottom  of  each  of  which  roared  and  plunged 
the  turbulent  little  mountain  torrents.  After 
exploring  several  of  them  we  at  last  came  to  the 


l\ 


■P!*^^^ 


A  TRAMP  OVER  THE  HILLS 


133 


edge  of  a  far  deeper  and  sheerer  precipice,  and  on 
glancing  up  we  caught  sight  of  the  falls  we  were 
in  search  of.     We  could  not  be  mistaken.     It  was 

now    lunch-time   and  Mr.   D proposed    before 

we  undertook  to  reach  them  we  sit  down  and  eat 

our   luuch.      Mr.  D ,  always    thoughtful,   had 

brought  a  United  States  army  rubber  blanket, 
which  we  spread  out  on  the  ground  to  sit  on, 
for,  as  we  had  been  told,  everything  was  wet,  wet, 
wet.  My  skirts  were  increased  in  weight  by  several 
pounds,  owing  to  the  amount  of  water  they  had 
absorbed  in  trailing  them  through  the  weeds,  and 
several  times  in  crossing  the  little  brooks  that 
obstructed  our  path. 

We  sat  down  in  excellent  spirits  to  our  humble 
fare.  Bacon  is  quite  a  delicacy  to  a  hungry  mortal, 
and  sardines  always  palatable,  with  bread.  But  now 
arose  a    difficulty ;    we  had    forgotten  a    drinking 

utensil  of  any  kind.     Lieutenant  W ,  equal  to 

the  occasion,  proposed  a  good,  clean  stone,  on  which 
the  contents  of  the  sardine-box  were  emptied,  and 

then  Mr.  D proceeded  to  scrub  it  with  the  sand 

he  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  stream  beside  which 
we  were  lunching.  He  soon  brought  it  to  me  full  of 
the  clear,  cold,  sparkling  water,  which  was  very 
acceptable,  and  ihe  sardine-can  proved  invaluable 
the  rest  of  the  trip. 

Finishing  our  meager  repast  we  wended  our  way 
to  the  falls.  We  followed  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
climbing  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  as 


! 


184 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


we  best  could  pick  our  way.  After  a  short  but  hard 
climb  we  came  upon  it  suddenly,  a  torrent  of  water 
pouring  over  a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock  over  a 
hundred  feet  high.  At  the  foot  the  water  fell  into 
a  little  basin,  where  it  foamed  and  boiled  away, 
rushing  madly  against  the  rocks  deep-sunken  in  its 
bed  as  if  to  hurl  them  from  its  path.  We  watched 
with  quiet  pleasure  the  little  cataract,  and  then,  our 
instinct  for  further  discoveries  being  aroused,  we 
scrambled  up  the  steep  side  of  the  precipice  to  the 
top  of  the  falls.  Here  we  found  another  and  smaller 
valley  spread  out  before  us,  at  a  much  higher  eleva- 
tion. The  tops  of  the  mountains  now  seemed  much 
more  accessible.  We  found  we  had  been  slowly  ris- 
ing all  the  while,  and  now  were  many  hundred  feet 
probably  two  thousand,  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Beyond  and  looking  through  the  valley,  we  could 
see  Oonalaska  far  towards  the  setting  sun.  Its  little 
colored  scattered  houses  looking  more  like  quiet 
cattle  grazing  than  human  habitations.  We  could 
see  the  Rush,  a  child's  toy  ship  at  that  distance,  and 
hills  and  mountains  piled  promiscuously  on  every 
side  of  the  little  harbor.  We  did  not  wish  to  retrace 
our  steps  homeward,  so  after  holding  a  council  of  war 
we  decided  to  climb  the  nearest  peak  and  *'  view 
the  landscape  o'er."  We  little  knew  what  an  ardu- 
ous climb  we  then  undertook,  it  looked  so  near,  and 
yet  it  was  so  far.  No  sooner  had  we  arrived  at  an 
eminence  we  felt  sure  on  looking  up  was  the  top, 
than  another  appeared  above  that,  and  so  on,  till 


T 


i 


■A 


A  TRAMP  OVER  THE  HILLS 


185 


both  oiir  courage  and  strength  well  nigh  gave  out. 
Still,  with  frequent  pauses  for  rest,  we  toiled  slowly 
on,  and  at  length  shouted,  as  did  Balboa  before  us, 
"  The  sea  I  the  sea ! "  this  time  on  directly  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island  from  that  we  had  left,  and 
now  we  had  the  view  of  mountains  and  sea  on  the 
one  hand  and  sea  and  mountains  on  the  other.  A 
grand  panorama  !  We  sat  watching  that  perfect 
beauty  as  long  as  we  dared,  for  fear  of  contracting 
cold  and  rheumatism  ;  for  even  when  viewing  the 
sublime  we  have  to  think  of  our  poor,  ridiculous 
little  selves. 

Wo  then  formed  the  resolution  of  keeping  our 
high  elevation,  and  so  wend  our  way  back  rather 
than  descend  again  to  the  valley. 

We  were  aware  of  the  deep  ravines,  or  canyons, 
we  had  to  cross,  and  the  snow  patches  which 
impeded  our  way,  but  we  were  daring  enough  to 
brave  all  for  the  sake  of  adventure.  We  climbed, 
and  stopped  to  rest  and  lool',  and  climbed  again 
incessantly  up  and  down.  At  length  we  came  to  a 
standstill — an  enormous  area  of  snow  spread  out 
before  our  feet  at  a  very  steep  incline.  Get  over 
that  we  must,  or  we  would  have  to  climb  back  again 
and  around  by  another  way,  involving  great  loss  of 
time.     It  was  already  three  p.  m.  an^'  we  wanted  to 

get  back  for  dinner  at  five.     Mr.   D bravely 

plodded  over  it  in  a  diagonal  line,  stamping  a  hole 
in  the  snow  with  each  step,  and  so  gaining  a  foot- 
ing, as  he  told  us  afterward.     Lieutenant  W and 


V 


136 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


myself  had  sat  down  to  rest  a  few  moments  before 
and  had  gotten  behind.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
snow  we  could  not  see  him  nor  his  tracks,  and  felt 
a  little  alarmed  for  his  safety.  After  scanning  the 
hillside  closely  we  at  length  observed  him,  a  little 
speck  in  the  distance  at  the  bottom  of  the  gorge. 
We  called  to  him  and  asked  him  how  he  got  over. 
He  shouted  back,  "  Walked,"  but  that  seemed  an 
almost  impossible  thing  to  do  ;  the  snow  was  frozen 
so  hard  it  was  difficult  to  get  a  footing.     However, 

we  started,  I  the  advance  guard,  Lieutenant  W 

having  some  difficulty  in  keeping  his  footing,  owing 
to  the  broad,  flat  sole  of  his  sl^oe.  After  walking  a 
short  distance,  and  yet  nol  seeing  the  snow-line 
over  a  sudden  swell  in  the  bank,  I  determined  to 
boldly  sit  on  the  snow  and  allow  myself  to  slide 
down,  as  the  easiest  and  speediest  way  to  solve  the 
problem  ;  of  the  latter  fact  there  was  no  doubt.  No 
sooner  said  than  done,  and  I  found  myself,  after  a 
ghastly  breathless  interval  of  a  few  seconds,  at  the 
end  of  my  descent  by  a  sharp  collision  with  the 
bare  ground.     I  picked  myself  up,  a  wiser   and  a 

sadder  woman,  but  unhurt.   Lieutenant  W now 

ventured  his  life  in  a  similar  manner.  Scrambling 
out  of  his  way  I  watched  his  "rapid  transit"  down 
the  steep  incline  of  snow.  Could  he  have  been 
photographed  in  the  act  nothing  could  have  afforded 
me  more  amusement.  The  expression  of  his  face  as 
he  came  down,  not  knowing  what  fate  the  next 
minute  had  in  store  for  him,  was  a  study.     It  was  a 


A  TRAMP  OVER  THE  HILLS 


137 


cross  between  fear  and  surprise,  and  a  looking  for- 
ward to  probable  consequences.  He  descended  in 
safety  and  we  were  soon  heartily  laughing  over  our 
dangerous  adventure,  for  had  we  been  unable  to 
stop  ourselves  on  the  steep,  slippery,  because  frozen, 
ground  we  might  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  against 
the  rocks  at  the  bottom.  It  was  equal  to  a  toboggan 
slide  in  the  middle  of  a  Canadian  winter,  though 
our  experience  was  in  July. 

A  few  moments  more  and  we  were  again  with  Mr. 

D ,  and  all  three  went  on  our  way  rejoicing, 

having  overcome  the  greatest  of  our  difficulties. 
Now  we  began,  however,  to  feel  the  effects  of  all  our 
exertions,  and  home  still  seemed  a  long  way  off. 
But  trudging  along,  interested  as  we  were  in  our 
ever-varying  walk,  we  managed  at  last  to  arrive  at 
our  starting-point,  footsore  and  weary,  but  safe. 


1  p 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


SEAL,  OR   PRIBYLOF,  ISl  ANDS — ST.  GEORGE 

I  HE  NEXT  DAY  I  packed  my  small  trunk  and 
^  took  passage  on  the  Rush  for  the  Seal,  or  Pri- 
bylof,  Islands.  As  was  inevitable,  I  was  afflicted 
with  seasickness  the  moment  the  Rush  steamed  out 
of  the  harbor  ;  however,  when  late  in  the  afternoon 
a  ''sealer"  was  reported,  I  revived  sufficiently  to 
go  on  deck  to  witness  the  chase  and  capture.  But  it 
did  not  prove  as  wildly  exciting  as  I  had  expected. 
The  Rush  swooped  down  upon  the  poor  little  schooner 
like  a  big  hawk  on  a  little  bird,  which  meekly  gives 
up  after  a  faint  struggle.  So  the  schooner,  at  the 
shout  of  command  from  my  husband,  '•  Heave  to ! 
I  want  to  board  you  1  "  hauled  her  jib  to  windward, 
which  I  learned  was  the  proper  way  to  express  it 
and  define  "  heave  to."  This  she  did  without  resist- 
ance of  any  kind.  A  whale-boat  was  lowered,  and 
two  officers,  armed  with  revolvers,  accompanied  by 
several  of  the  men,  set  off  to  board  her.  They  did 
so,  but  found,  after  searching  her  thoroughly,  na 
skins.  We  turned  on  our  course  again  and  she  soon 
was  but  as  a  bird  in  the  distance. 

The  same  thing  occurred  later,  about  eight  in  the 
evening,  and  the  following  morning,  all  the  sealers^ 
seemed  sailing  around  the  sea  merely  for  a  pastime^ 

(138) 


SEAL,  OR  PRIBYLOF,   ISLANDS-ST.   GEORGE. 


130 


The  captain  of  one  of  the  schooners  boarded  had 
been  captured  twice  in  previous  seasons,  '86  and 
*87,  and,  besides,  had  liad  quite  a  thrilling  adven- 
ture last  year.  He,  with  two  of  his  men,  left  his 
schooner  in  a  small  boat  to  go  in  search  of  the 
seal.  A  thick  fog  arose  and  they  lost  their  bear- 
ings and  were  thus  separated  from  their  ship. 
They  drifted  about  in  the  little  open  otter-boat 
two  weeks,  during  which  time  they  kept  alive  on 
raw  seal  meat.  At  last  they  managed  to  get  to 
Kadiak  Island,  where  they  found  friends,  but  no 
news  of  the  schooner.  From  Kadiak  the  captain 
was  taken  by  a  chance  steamer  to  San  Francisco, 
the  vessel  had  already  arrived  at  Port  Townsend 
and  reported  his  loss  and  that  of  the  boat's  crew. 

This  occurrence  is  common  in  the  Behring  Sea, 
where  the  fog  is  liable  to  shut  down,  as  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  it  so  constantly  shifts  about. 
The  same  schooner  had  two  men  aboard,  recently 
picked  up,  lost  in  the  same  way  from  a  sister 
vessel. 

About  3:30  p.  m.,  July  24th,  we  arrived  at  the 
Island  of  St.  George,  the  smaller  of  the  Seal  Islands, 
as  they  are  commonly  called.  We  saw  it  first  through 
a  curtain  of  shifting  fog  or  mist,  which  one  moment 
shut  it  out  completely,  and  then  cleared  just  long 
enough  to  show  us  where  we  were.  But  a  surer  means, 
of  telling  our  near  approach  to  the  islands  were 
the  millions  upon  millions  of  the  gillemot  or  muir 
which  blacken  the  surface  of  the  water  for  miles 


140 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH' 


I!   ; 


around.  As  we  reared  them  they  flew  and  dove  in 
every  direction,  just  touching  the  surface  of  the 
water  with  their  wings,  beating  it  into  foam,  '^nd 
producing  a  continuous  indistinct  sound,  hard  to 
describe,  as  the  whole  mass  of  floa^'ng  birds  were 
disturbed  and  took  to  flight.  It  would  be  hard  to 
exaggerate  their  numbers.  Immediately  along  the 
beach  on  the  rocks  hundreds  of  white  gulls  were 
perched.  And  in  many  places  I  thought  them  but 
the  foam  of  the  breakers  dashing  on  the  shore.  It 
was  only  through  their  immobility  I  was  able  to 
detect  the  difference.  We  had  to  anchor  quite  a 
distance  from  shore,  owing  to  the  heavy  swells 
which  roll  in   from  the  sea,  there  being  no  harbor. 

The  Islands  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  are  both 
much  lower  in  their  general  elevation  than  any  of 
the  Aleutian  chain  of  islands  we  had  visited.  The 
highest  elevation  is  but  about  600  feci  and  is  called 
Uogoslov,  hardly  deserving  the  name  of  mountain. 
Sc.  Paul  13  the  larger  anu  more  important  of  the 
two.  They  are  covere*'.  with  grass  and  flowers,  dur- 
ing the  summer  season,  but  there  are  no  bushes  or 
trees  of  any  kind.  The  flowers,  to  my  surprise,  differ 
on  the  two  islands  from  each  other,  at  least  the  most 
common  were  unlike,  as  well  as  from  those  growing 
around  Oonalaska^  though  not  so  much .  I  could  not 
account  for  it,  as  the  difi'erence  in  temperature  and 
distance  apart  of  the  Aleutian  and  Pribylof  islands 
did  not  seem  to  be  sufficient  to  wt-rrant  it. 

The  average  temperature  durin/^  th  3  moath  of  July, 


SEAL,  OR  PRIBYLOF,  ISLANDS-ST.  GEORGE         141 

we  found  on  consulting  our  log  book,  was  at  Oona- 
laska  about  fifiy-seven  degrees  Farenheit,  at  the 
Seal  Islandti,  about  fifty  degrees.  At  the  former 
islands,  on  the  third  of  July,  we  registered  sixty- 
three  degrees  Farenheit,  and  it  has  been  known 
to  rise  as  high  as  seventy  degrees,  but  this  is  rarely 
the  case  and  only  at  long  intervals,  and  then  only 
for  a  short  time,  perhaps  one  day  during  a  season. 

Over  the  Seal  Islands  the  sky  is  almost  continu- 
ally overcast.  The  sun  once  ia  a  while  looks 
through  the  mist,  with  pale  sickly  beams  which 
soon  fade  away.  It  rains  more  or  less  all  the  time 
in  summer,  though  it  is  not  often  much  more  than 
a  fine  mist,  which,  however,  when  lasting  day  after 
day,  is  more  depressing  than  a  good  hard  shower. 
The  officers  aboard  the  Rush  generally  concur  in 
the  statement,  that  after  taking  this  cruise  once  it 
loses  all  its  interest.  Existence  is  most  monoto- 
nous during  the  winter  on  and  near  the  islands  of 
Behring  Sea;  there  is  so  much  gloom,  so  little  sun- 
shine, so  little  life  an«'  variety.  For  a  summer  visit 
like  mine  it  was  not  very  bad. 

No  news  is  received  at  the  islands  for  six  months. 
They  did  not  know  who  was  elected  President  till 
seven  or  eight  months  afterward,  and  that  too  in  a 
part  of  our  own  country.  There  is  no  means  of  com- 
munication between  Sitka  and  Oonalaska.  At  the 
former  place  they  hear  from  the  rest  of  the  world 
twice  a  month  in  winter.  It  is  only  through  the 
^  laska  Commercial  Company  there  is  any  communi- 


WMtanm 


142 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


i 

s 


I 


cation  at  all  with  the  Aleutian  and  Pribylof  Islands, 
the  revenue  cutters  being  sent  up  in  the  summer 
only  to  protect  the  fisheries. 

The  Island  of  St.  Matthew,  only  a  little  over  two 
hundred  miles  farther  north,  presents  quite  an  Arctic 
aspect,  as  I  was  told  by  an  officer  aboard  the  Rush, 
who  had  been  there.  At  St.  Matthew's  are  found  the 
polar  bear,  white  owls  and  many  other  evidences  of 
the  life  of  the  frigid  zone.  Formerly  it  was  inhab- 
ited by  Eskimos.  It  is  now  deserted.  I  tried  to 
induce  my  husband  to  visit  it  while  on  my  trip  to 
the  Pribylof  Islands,  but  he  answered,  as  usual, 
"  That  is  not  my  businisss,  it  is  out  of  my  way,  I  am 
sent  up  to  protect  the  seal  fisheries,  not  on  a  pleasure 
trip."  He  is  inflexible  in  carrying  out  his  duty. 
Therefore  I  was  denied  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
St.  Matthew's,  and  shooting  a  white  polar  bear. 

But  to  return  to  St.  George  Island.  Prom  the  ship's 
deck,  with  the  glasses,  I  was  able  to  see  the  chief 
industry  of  the  place — the  seal-killing.  Squads  of 
men,  with  clubs,  surround  the  seals  while  on  their 
"  rookeries,"  and  making  a  noise  by  beating  on  tin 
cans  scare  them,  urging  them  in  that  way  in  large 
numbers  far  up  on  the  beach,  where  they  are  left 
struggling  and  squirming  about  in  the  grass.  They 
utter  a  sound  not  unlike  the  **  baa"  of  a  sheep.  The 
hair  seal,  judging  from  those  on  the  rocks  in  front  of 
the  Cliff  House  at  Golden  Gate  Park,  San  Francisco, 
make  a  noise  more  like  the  bark  of  a  dog.  The  fur 
seal  are  a  pretty  animal  in  repose,  but  very  awkward 


SEAL,  OR  TRIBYLOF,  ISLANDS— ST.   GEOROE        143 


of 


when  in  motion.  Huddled  close  together,  the  poor 
things  await  their  fate.  About  twenty  are  singled  out 
of  the  large  group  at  a  time,  driven  off  a  short  dis- 
tance and  clubbed  over  the  head,  one  blow  of  the 
lead-tipped  pole  crushing  the  skull,  producing  instant 
death,  or  insensibility,  for  I  saw  one  breathe  for  some 
time  after  it  was  struck.  The  sight  haunts  me  still. 
It  seems  so  brutal  to  kill  them,  they  are  so  harmless, 
and  have  such  a  human  look  about  the  eyes. 

In  driving  them  from  the  "  rookeries''  great  care 
is  taken  to  select  them,  those  only  being  chosen  that 
are  of  the  proper  age  to  kill.  The  full-^rown  males  are 
preserved,  and  all  the  female  seal.  Fifteen  hundred 
are  often  killed  in  one  day  by  a  handful  of  men. 
One  hundred  thousand  are  killed  every  year  on  both 
the  islands  together.  The  company  is  limited  to  that 
number.  Including  all  seals  killed  outside  in  the  sea, 
it  is  supposed  the  whole  number  reaches  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand.  They  are  growing 
more  scarce  every  year,and  eventually  may  be  driven 
away  from  these  islands  to  other  haunts. 

The  blow  on  the  head  by  one  man,  a  s^jab  'vith  a 
knife  to  bleed  the  animals  by  another,  while  a  third 
leans  over  and  skins  it,  in  scarce  five  minutes,  com- 
pletes the  whole  operation.  It  is  a  ghastly,  sickening 
sight,  to  see  the  carcasses  of  those  poor  murdered 
animals  covering  the  ground  for  a  great  distance, 
while  the  hungry  birds  flutter  and  quarrel  over  them. 
Then  the  stench  is  something  dreadful !  I  wonder 
any  one  can  ever  accustom  himself  to  it.     Among 


144 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH' 


\ 


this  squad  of  men  who  kill  the  seal  are  seen  many 
native,  or  Aleute,  women  rushing  greedily  about 
securing  the  blubber,  which  they  use  for  fuel  in  win- 
ter, and  I  was  told  also,  eat.  They  are  very  fond  of 
the  seal  meat.  They  carry  it  in  quantities  to  their 
homes,  where  they  keep  it  hung  up  out  in  the  air, 
in  all  kinds  of  weather,  till  it  becomes  sufficiently 
"  gamey"  to  be  palatable  to  them,  and  then  eat  it. 
These  women  appeared  like  so  many  vultures,  also 
reminding  one  of  the  robbers  of  the  dead  on  a  field 
of  battle  ;  it  is  a  horrid  sight. 

After  landing  I  walked  nearer  to  look  more  closely 
at  the  dreadful  scene,  that  I  might  describe  it,  and 
say  I  had  seen  it  personally,  but  I  am  almost  sorry  I 
did.  What  a  heartless  sacrifice  of  so  manv  thou- 
sands  of  harmless  animals,  that  women  may  wear 
sealskin  coats  ! 

We  landed  at  St.  George  iu  a  rough  sea,  and  had 
to  take  our  chances  of  getting  soaked,  but  much  to 
our  relief  no  casualty  of  that  kind  occurred.     As  our 

boat  touched  the  beach  we  were  met  by  Dr.  N , 

who  is  employed  by  the  company,  and  Capt.  L , 

the  Treasury  agent  of  the  island.  We  found  the  same 
characteristics,  in  the  town,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  as  at 
Oonalaska.  The  natives  live  in  houses  built  by  the 
company.  The  Greek  church,  the  store  and  the 
company's  house  were  the  principal  buildings. 

Soon  after  landing,  the  dearest  little  woman,  Capt. 

L -'s  wife,  ran  up  to  me  and  kissed  me,  saying  she 

had  not  seen  a  white  woman  for  a  year.     I  liked  her 


en  many 
ily  about 
3I  in  win- 
•y  fond  of 
J  to  their 
,n  the  air, 
ufficiently 
Len  eat  it. 
tures,  also 
L  on  a  field 

lore  closely 
ribe  it,  and 
Qost  sorry  I 
aany  thou- 
1  may  wear 

a,  and  had 

>ut  much  to 

d.     As  our 

Dr.  N- , 

lapt.  L — -» 
d  the  same 
call  it,  as  at 
luilt  by  the 
,re  and  the 

lings. 
man,Capt. 

,,  saying  she 
I  liked  her 


■n 


144 


(RUI^E  OF  THE   "RUSE" 


U 


\ 


I 


■ 


MM 


lais  squad  of  mon  who  kill  the  seal  are  seen  many 
native.,  o}  Aleuie-,  wom.Hi  rushing  greedily  about 
securing  ihe  hlubher,  which  they  use  for  fuel  in  win- 
ter, and  I  was  tol  ]  also,  fat.  They  are  very  fond  of 
the  seal  meat.  i^Ucj  carry  it  in  quantities  to  their 
homes,  v7hcre  tiioy  keep  it  hung  up  out  in  the  air, 
in  all  kinds  of  v;e%iher,  till  it  becomes  imfiiciently 
"  gamey"  to  be  pahdable  to  them,  and  then  eat  it. 
These  women  appear'  d  like  so  many  vultures,  also 
reminding  one  of  tl  '^  vobbers  of  the  dead  on  a  field 
of  battle;  if.  is  a  horrivi  sight. 

Aftor  landing  I  walk    '  r-^arer  to  look  more  closely 
at  th"  dreadful  scene.  '  '   might  describe  it,  and 

say  I  had  set-n  if  f^ersou  ^  Hut  I  am  almost  sorry  I 
did.  What  a  hfiii,rtless  .satrnSice  of  so  mauv  thou- 
sands  of  harn.!*--  uiimnls,  that  women  may  woar 
sealskin  coats  ! 

**'orgo  iu  a  rough  sea,  and  had 

I'f  ^retting  soaked,  but  much  to 

■  o:    hat  kind  occurred.     As  our 

*.'(*   were  met  by  Dr.  N , 


.  vompany,  and  Capt.  L- 


i  ;! 


We  landed  at  Si, 
to  take  our  chart Ci 
our  relief  no  c  suah 
boat  touched  the  b- 
who  is  employed  bv 
the  Treasury  agent  of  ih<^  island.  Wo  found  the  same 
characteristics  in  t^•'^  '"wn,  if  1  may  so  call  it,  as  at 
Oonalaska.  The  nat  •>  r  live  in  houses  built  by  the 
company.  Tiv  OreM; .  church,  the  store  and  the 
company's  hous<,  wert;  me  principal  buildings. 

Soon  after  lauding  thf  dearest  little  woman,  Capt. 

L 's  wife,  ran  up  to  me  and  kissed  me,  saying  she 

had  not  seen  a  white  woman  for  a  year.     I  liked  her 


many 
about, 

in  win- 
fond  of 
,0  tbeir 
the  air, 
aciently 
1  eat  it. 
res,  also 
n  a  field 

re  closely 
je  it,  iind 
,st  sorry  I 
^ny  thon- 
na\'  woar 

and  bad 
much  to 
As  onr 
N — -, 
pt.  L — -i 
I  the  same 
11  it,  as  at 
lilt  by  the 
)  and  the 

gs. 
Lan,Capt. 


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liked  h( 


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SEAL,  OR  PRIBYLOP,  ISLANDS— ST.  GEORGE        145 


<'<•] 


at  once,  and  found  her  a  quaint  and  true  type  of  a 
"  down-easter,"  with,  I  know,  the  kindest  of  hearts, 
and  a  world-wide  experience.  Her  husband  had 
been  a  sailor  all  his  life,  and  since  they  were  married 
she  had  traveled  with  him.  He  had  commanded  a 
"  fruiter,"  she  said,  and  she  had  sailed  to  many  a 
storied  foreign  port,  of  France,  Spain,  Italy,  Sicily 
and  those  places.  *  •  But  after  all  they  are  of  no  account 
beside  one's  own  country,  and  they  pass  out  of  your 
mind  like  anything  else,"  she  said,  when  I  expressed 
my  envy  of  her,  and  my  longing  to  go.  She  told  me 
she  was  fifty,  and  had  a  grown  family  and  grandchil- 
dren, but  she  chatted  and  laughed  so  brightly,  and 
walked  so  briskly  along,  it  was  hard  to  believe.  They 
were  to  return  to  their  own  dear  home,  a  farm  near 
Bath,  Maine,  in  the  fall,  and  were  looking  forward  to 
their  cheerful  fireside  there,  after  the  long  gloomy 
winter  on  the  island.  I  was  loth  to  say  good-bye  to 
her  and  leave  her  again  alone.     As  a  souvenir  of  my 

visit  Capt.  L gave  me  a  little  trinket  or  two, 

carved  out  of  walrus  tusks,  by  his  own  nimble  fingers, 
during  the  long  dull  winter  days.  He  called  himself 
"  an  old  barnacle,"  and  a  flavor  of  his  old  sailor  days 
still  clung  about  him. 

We  all  took  dinner  ashore.  I  half  expected  to  be 
invited  to  eat  a  piece  of  seal  meat,  as  I  understood 
they  had  it  there  most  of  the  time  for  dinner  as  a 
standby.  Fortunately  I  escaped  the  pain  of  a  refusal. 
After  the  sights  I  had  seen,  nothing  less  than  starva- 
tion would  induce  me  to  taste  seal  meat.     But  I  came 

Cruisk  op  the  "  Rush."   10 


r 


146 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


to  the  conclusion,  that  after  a  short  residence  on 
the  islands  one  would  become  inured  to  most  any- 
thing. 

I  was  told  that  on  the  island  of  St.  Paul,  as  a  good 
joke,  and  with  high  encomiums  as  to  its  merit  as  a 
dish,  that  last  winter  a  favorite  mule,  too  old  for 
further  use,  had  been  killed  and  t\  .en,  and  that  by 
the  white  population.  The  mule  went  by  the  name 
of  "  Old  Snooks,"  and  it  was  related  that  at  table  the 
question  was  passed,  "Which  will  you  have,  Mr. 
So-and-So,  a  piece  of  ham  or  Old  Snooks  ?"     A  Mr. 

G ,  with  whom  Old  Snooks  had  been  a  great 

favorite,  was  caught  eating  a  piece  of  him  with  great 
relish,  at  the  same  time  silently  dashing  away  a  tear, 
and  when  asked  the  cause  of  his  emotion,  replied, 
"  He  was  thinking  of  the  many  good  times  he  had 
had  behind  Old  Snooks." 

In  the  winter  a  great  many  blue  foxes  are  killed 
on  the  Pribylof  Islands.  Often  as  many  as  a  thou- 
sand skins  are  obtained.  These  foxes  are  not 
natives  of  the  islands,  but  were  taken  there  some  years 
ago  by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company.  They  have 
multiplied  very  rapidly.  They  are  supposed  to  live 
chiefly  upon  birds'  eggs,  which  are  found  in  such 
quantities  on  the  islands,  that  of  St.  George  espe- 
cially. In  winter,  when  all  food  is  scarce,  they 
prowl  around  the  dwellings,  howling  terribly,  a  dis- 
mal accompaniment  to  the  moaning  of  the  wind 
during  the  long,  stormy  winter.  Those  who  spend 
their  winters  there  are  not  to  be  envied,  everything 


lii 


SEAL,  OR  PRIBYLOF,  ISLANDS-ST.  GEORGE         147 

must  look  so  bare  and  bleak,  for  the  islands  are  so 
low  there  is  no  protection  from  the  wind. 

A  little  blue  fox,  resembling  in  color  very  much 
a  maltese  kitten,  was  presented  to  one  of  my  little 
boys  by  one  of  the  natives,  when  on  a  trip  to  the 
island  of  St.  George.  We  left  him  to  winter  at 
Oonalaska,  in  care  of  "  Old  Rufe,"  who,  when  the 
poor  animal  was  of  the  proper  size,  was  to  send  us 
his  skin. 


r 


/ 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SEAL   ISLANDS — CONTINUED — ST.  PAUL. 

UBOUT  11:30  A.  M.,  JULY  26th,  we  arrived  at 
^1"  the  island  of  St.  Paul.  This  island  is  larger 
and  the  place  more  important  than  either  Oonalaska 
or  St.  George.  They  kill  by  far  the  greater  number 
of  seal  there.  While  at  St.  Paul  we  were  pleasantly 
entertained  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M and  the  gentle- 
men of   the  place. 

The  Greek  church  at  St.  Paul's,  though  not  con- 
taining as  many  handsome  things  as  that  at  Sitka, 
is  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  in  the  territory.  The 
natives  make  considerable  money  in  the  employ  of 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  by  killing  seal,  a 
percentage  of  which  is  given  to  the  priest.  This  is 
used  by  him  in  whatever  manner  he  chooses. 

There  are  half  the  number  of  natives  at  St.  Paul 
that  there  are  at  Oonalaska.  Their  houses,  as  at 
Oonalaska,  are  all  alike,  though  many  more,  because 
single  and  built  by  the  company,  there  are  also  some 
few  larger  occupied  by  Creole  families.  These,  with 
the  store,  which  is  very  good,  together  with  the  com- 
pany's house  and  warehouses,  and  I  must  not  forget 
the  school-house,  make  up  the  town,  the  most  impos- 
ing in  size  we  had  seen. 

St.  Paul  is  situated  on  a  slight  elevation  overlook- 

(1^8) 


•mim 


SEAL  ISLANDS— ConiiwMcrf-ST.  PAUL 


149 


ing  the  sea,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  back 
from  it.  At  the  time  I  was  there  the  island  was 
very  green,  and  fresh,  bright  flowers  bloomed  every- 
where. Onp  in  particular  attracted  my  attention  ; 
it  was  a  flower  much  resembling  the  California 
poppy,  or  escholtzia,  in  form,  though  of  a.  paler 
yellow  and  a  very  vivid  color,  while  the  petals  were 
of  a  more  silky  texture.  It,  however,  had  a  very 
rank  odor,  which  in  a  close  room  became  absolutely 
sickening.     I  saw  them  nowhere  else. 

Standing  on  the  porch  of  the  house  occupied  by 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  M one  obtained  a  fine  view  of  the 

sea.  Three  lonely  graves,  in  a  direct  lino  from  the 
house  to  the  sea,  on  a  little  knoll,  attracted  my  notice. 
On  inquiry  I  found  three  men  were  buried  1here» 
lost  from  one  of  our  revenue  cutters  while  trying  to 
effect  a  landing.  It  had  happened  some  years  pre- 
vious. There  was  something  mournful  about  the 
graves,  so  alone  and  uncared  for,  and  so  far  from 
the  dear  ones  who  would  perhaps  keep  them  wreathed 
in  flowers. 

A  great  many  more  seals  are  to  be  found  on  St. 
Paul  than  on  St.  George  Island  ;  almost  all  the  shore 
line  of  the  island  is  covered  with  them.  The  *'  rook- 
eries "  are  particular  spots  chosen  by  the  seal  to 
breed  in.  At  St.  PauPs  Island  I  had  a  fine  oj^por- 
tunity  to  see  all  the  domestic  system  of  seal-life  in 
its  entirety.  We  walked  about  a  mile  to  a  i^oint  of 
rocky  land  projecting  into  the  water,  inclining 
gradually  from  a  bluff,  the  top  of  which  was  cov- 


raimmmBmmmmmm 


150 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH' 


"  li 


ri   ii 


t   i 


M 


ered  with  grass  and  exquisitely  green  moss.  We 
approached  fron?.  the  land  side  and  walked  carefully, 
so  as  not  to  frigh  ten  the  seals,  to  the  top  of  the  bluff, 
where,  climbing  a  single  large  rock,  which  com- 
manded a  fine  view  of  the  entire  point  and  on  both 
sides  of  it,  we  saw,  covering  an  area  of  at  least  ten 
01  twelve  acres,  myriads  of  seal  of  ail  sizes,  varying 
from  the  huge  male  seal,  often  as  large  as  an  ox,  to 
the  little  black  baby  seal,  no  larger  thin  a  cat. 
After  watching  some  time  I  began  to  see,  as  I  said 
above,  into  their  domestic  life.  I  found  that  each 
Mr.  Seal  had  his  harem  around  him,  consisting  of 
some  eight  or  ten  wives  and  their  numerous  progeny, 
and  forming  distinct  groups.  Ea^h  Mr.  Seal  and 
family  occupied  his  own  territory,  which  he  guarded 
jealodsly,  debarring  all  other  seal  of  access  to,  and 
keeping  all  avenues  of  escape  for,  his  wives  blocked 
up.  It  was  very  '^.musing  to  see  the  general  terror 
of  the  more  timid  females  when  disturbed  by  our 
sudden  appearance,  their  struggles  to  get  away,  alto- 
gether checked  by  the  irate  paterfamilias,  who,  by 
flopping  (no  other  word  describes  their  motion) 
along  in  front  of  them,  barred  their  way  effectually 
by  skillful  maneuvering,  and  had  his  hands  (or  flip- 
pers) full  to  do  so,  too,  with  eight  wives  seeking  to 
escape  in  all  possible  directions.  Rather  than 
attack  tlie  intruder  the  male  seal's  anxiety  seems 
to  be  to  keep  his  wives  at  home.  Ko  showed  him- 
self a  perfect  tyrant,  scarce  allowing  th.  ai  to  move 
in  his  sight.     We  were  told   many  peculiar  things 


ki 


i 


SEAL  ISLANDS— CoTjfinucd— ST.  PAUL 


151 


in  regard  to  them,  almost  too  human  to  be  true. 
One  person  related  to  me  the  following  fact:  Some- 
times there  are  elopements  among  them,  and  if  the 
wronged  husband  be  able  to  recapture  his  faithless 
frau  he  will  even  condescend  to  kiss  and  make  up. 
I  actually  saw  with  my  own  eyes  what  very  much 
resembled  such  a  caress.  But  woe  !  to  the  betrayer 
of  his  domestic  happiness.  It  was  '^guerre  a  la 
mort"  between  them. 

Another  item  in  regard  to  their  habits  was  this: 
Early  in  the  breeding  season  the  males  come  to  the 
rookeries,  choose  their  own  particular  habitations, 
if  I  may  so  call  them,  and  keep  them  at  the  cost  of 
many  a  battle.  A  little  later  the  females  come, 
then  there  ensues  a  regular  game  of  grab  ;  each  one 
helps  himself  to  as  many  wives  as  he  can  and  drives 
them  before  him  to  his  chosen  abode,  where  he 
keeps  them  closely  at  hme  as  I  have  already 
described. 

Mr.  G ,  who  took  us  to  the  "  rookery,"  greatly 

to  our  amusement,  although  we  were  rather  fearful 
for  his  safety,  approached  a  family  nearest  to  us 
and  endeavored  to  secure  a  baby  seal  for  us  to  look 
at  closely.  This  family  was  reduced  to  only  one 
wife,  the  other  seven  or  eight  evidently  having  been 
too  much  for  his  lordship  to  manage.  As  Mr.  G— — 
approached  them  the  female  made  frantic  efforts 
to  get  away  to  the  water.     Her  lord  and  master 

seemed  beside   himself  with  rage  at  Mr.  G~ and 

anxiety  about  his  wife's  getting  away.     At  last  he 


?m 


152 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


li'U 


devoted  his  whole  attention  to  the  latter  difficulty, 
and  finally  succeeded  in  driving  her  back.  In  the 
mean  time   the   prize  had   been   secured,   and   Mr. 

G brought  it  to  us   by  the  nape  of  the  neck  and 

put  it  dov/n  so  we  might  pat  it.  It  did  not  seem  to 
be  either  afraid  or  savage;  it  was  too  young. 

The  male  seal  do  not  hesitate  to  attack  a  man,  to 
defend  themselves  and  their  families.  We  watched 
their  feuds  and  strifes  for  an  hour  or  more  and 
were  constantly  interested.  The  jealousy  of  the 
males  was  most  amusing,  and' the  submission  of  the 
wives  most  laudable. 

The  large  seals  or  "  bulls,"  as  they  are  called, 
remain  without  sustenance  the  entire  summer  or 
breeding  season,  and  are  kept  alive  by  their  own  fat. 

The  female  seal  make  their  escape  to  the  water  in 
search  of  fish,  which  is  their  food.  The  reason  why 
so  much  opposition  is  made  to  the  promiscuous 
killing  of  seal,  is  that  thereby  great  numbers  of 
females  are  destroyed,  in  that  way  exterminating 
them  much  more  rapidly  than  if  the  females  were 
preserved. 

No  seal  under  two,  nor  over  five,  years  of  age  are 
killed,  and  no  females.  Yet  one  hundred  thousand 
are  secured  every  year.  Aside  from  that,  there  is 
only  one  seal  born  to  a  mother  a  season,  so  that  one 
can  imagine  the  countless  multitudes  that  inhabit 
the  Behring  Sea.  They  disappear  in  winter,  and 
no  one  has  been  able  to  find  out  whot  becomes  of 
ihem.     About  the  first  of  Mav  thev  return,  a  few  at 


SEAL  ISLANDS— Conimucrf— ST.  PAUL 


153 


a  time,  to  their  old  haunts.  The  greatest  number 
is  found  in  July.  By  the  first  or  middle  of  August  the 
required  number  of  seal  have  all  b'^en  killed.  About 
the  first  of  December  they  have  all  disappeared. 
As  an  insight  into  the  life  of  the  lower  order  of 
animals  it  was  the  most  interesting  thing  of  the 
kind  I  ever  saw.  The  noise  or  the  cry  made  by  the 
seals  on  the  rookeries  resembles  the  confusion  of 
sounds  heard  in  a  barnyard  among  calves  and 
sheep. 

Aside  from  the  Pribylof  Islands  seals  are  found 
on  the  Commander  Islands,  a  group  belonging  to 
Russia  and  near  the  Siberian  coast.  They  were,  in 
former  years,  to  be  found  about  the  southern  end  of 
South  America  ;  but,  owing  to  the  indiscriminate 
killing  of  them,  they  have  been  almost  entirely 
exterminated  in  that  portion  of  the  world. 

We  remained  at  St.  Paul  only  a  day,  though  Mrs. 

M was  very  desirous  I  should  remain  a  week  or 

two  with  her,  till  the  return  visit  of  the  Rush.  She 
had  spent  two  years  on  the  island,  and  most  of  that 
time  had  had  no  white  lady  companion.  But  my  plans 
were  such  I  could  not  well  accept  her  invitation.    Mr- 

and  Mrs.  M were  then  preparing  to  go  back  with 

Captain  and   Mrs.  L ,  of  St.  George  Island,  to 

their  homes  in  the  East,  to  return  no  more  forever. 


/ 


I     !l 


i=! 


CHAPTER  XX. 


CHASING   THE    "  SEALERS." 


E  NEXT  SPENT  several  days  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Pribylof  Islands  searching  for  sealers. 
Oa  the  27th  of  July  we  had  an  exciting  chase  after 
what  proved  to^  be  the  Maggie  Mack,  from  Victoria, 
B.  C.  The  Englishmen  seemed  bound  to  catch  all 
the  seal  they  pleased  in  defiance  of  the  prohibition, 
and  were  less  cautious,  evidently,  than  the  Ameri- 
cans. No  doubt  they  expected  protection  from  the 
Siviftsure  and  other  English  men-of-war  reported  to 
be  coming  into  Behring  Sea. 

It  was  a  stormy  day,  a  high  sea  was  running,  and 
a  stiff  breeze  blowing,  while  rain  fell  in  a  disagree- 
able drizzle.  My  husband,  sweeping  the  horizon 
with  his  sharp  eyes,  discovered  her,  a  small  speck  in 
the  distance,  hardly  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  Our 
course  was  changed,  the  engineer  at  his  engine  down 
below  summoned  and  asked  to  give  us  '■'  all  ihe  steam 
he  could,"  and  with  all  sails  set  we  hurried  in  pur- 
suit. The  little  Rush  rolled  badly  as  ahe  breasted 
the  big  seas,  but  there  was  a  certain  exhilaration  in 
the  war  of  the  elements,  and  the  increase  of  speed, 
even  if  it  were  only  chasing  a  poor  little  schooner, 
she  was  at  any  rate  legitimate  prey.  The  Maggie 
Mack  scudded  ahead  with  a  fair  wind  and  under  full 

(154) 


CHASING  THE    "SEALERS" 


165 


sail,  but  the  Rush  slowly  gained  on  her.  At  last, 
when  all  hope  of  escape  was  over,  she  "  hove  to," 
anticipating  the  order,  and  waited  to  be  boarded. 
Now  came  the  "tug  of  war,"  though  Greeks  did  not 
meet.  The  sea  ran  so  high  the  two  vessels,  and 
especially  the  Maggie  Mack,  rolled  over  terribly, 
first  one  side  and  then  the  other,  almost  going  under 
water,  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  There 
was  much  danger  of  the  whale-boat  being  smashed 
to  pieces  by  being  dashed  against  the  side  of  the 
vessel.  Still  it  was  not  for  us  to  allow  the  prey  to 
escape  for  sucli  a  cause  as  that,  and  it  was  lowered 
with  great  care  amid  the  hoarse  shouts  of  command 
from  ofl&cers  and  '•  bo'son  "  (boatswain)  just  heard 
above  the  roar  of  the  sea,  and  the  wind  as  it  whistled 
through  the  rigging.  Those  left  aboard  watched  the 
small  craft,  as  on  her  way  to  the  schooner  she  dis- 
appeared at  times  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  almost 
fearing  we  would  never  see  her  again.  And  yot 
politicians  opposed  to  the  retirement  for  Rever  lo- 
Marine  officers  say  they  never  risk  their  lives  1 
However,  in  a  moment  she  would  appear  riding  the 
crest  of  each  wave,  just  as  it  threatened  to  engulf 
her.  Finally  they  neared  the  sealer  and  a  catas- 
trophe of  some  kind  soonied  imminent,  as  they 
rolled  and  dashed,  now  away  from,  now  against,  each 
other.  InstearJ,  as  would  naturally  be  supposed,  the 
English  captain  showed  no  enmity  whatever,  for  he 
kindly  threw  a  rope  to  assist  them,  and  actually 
helped  them  aboard.     This  was  effected  without  any 


i 


ii 


ill 


166 


CRUISE  OF  THE    'RUSH" 


accident  occurring,  further  than  the  loss  of  one  oar, 
and  the  breaking  of  another.  The  captain  was  very- 
polite,  our  lieutenants  reported,  all  the  time  they 
were  aboard.  He  said  he  had  live  hundred  and  sixtj'^- 
one  sealskins,  but  that  none  had  been  caught  in  the 
Sea.  The  last  caught  was  four  days  before,  near 
Copper  Islands.  Leaving  one  lieutenant  aboard  the 
schooner,  to  await  the  decision  of  my  husband,  oar 

first  lieutenant,  Mr.  T ,  came  back  and  reporting 

what  the  captain  said,  gave  his  opinion  it  was  true, 
as  the  Gkins  did  not  look  fresh.  He  added,  the 
captain  was  on  his  way  to  Petropavlosky.  He  had 
clearance  papers  from  San  Francisco  there.  My 
husband,  always  giving  them  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt,  let  them  go,  but  he  rather  doubted  the  story. 

There  had  been  up  to  that  time  seven  or  eight 
sealers  found  and  boarded  in  the  Behring  Sea.  Only 
two  of  these  had  been  seized.  The  first  having  fresh 
seal  aboard,  to  condemn  her,  the  second,  by  the 
confession  of  the  captain,  that  he  had  taken  all  he 
had  in  the  Sea.  The  others  had  all  either  "just  come 
in,"  or  were  "  passing  through, "  or  some  such 
story,  and  had  no  positive  evidence  of  fresh  catches 
aboard,  though  we  strongly  suspected  the  seal  having 
been  thrown  overboard  on  finding  the  Rush  after 
them,  rather  than  give  up  their  vessels.  However, 
Captain  S had  to  let  tliem  go. 

We  had  begun  to  disbelieve  the  fact  the  Swiftsure 
ever  intended  to  appear  in  the  Sea.  If  she  did,  then 
was  her  opportunity,  for   my  husband  was  chasing 


CHASING  THE  "SEALERS 


157 


every  schooner,  English  or  American,  he  saw  in  the 
Sea. 

The  29th  of  July  we'  chased,  overtook  and  seized 
the  British  schooner  Pathfinder.  Her  captain,  with- 
out hesitation,  acknowledged  having  secured  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  sealskins  in  Behring  Sea.  These 
were  transferred  to  the  Rush,  together  with  all  their 
firearms  and  ammunition.  One  of  our  quarter- 
masters Hunter  by  name,  asked  permission  to  take 
her  to  Sitka,  which  request  my  husband  granted.  We 
were  sorry  to  have  him  go,  as  he  was  a  very  good 
man.  Yet  it  was  better  to  send  one  willing  to  go 
than  one  unwilling.  There  were  so  many  skins  it 
took  several  hours'  time  to  complete  the  transfer. 

The  following  day  the  American  schooner,  James 
G.  Swan,  was  seized.  One  hundred  and  seventy- 
one  skins  were  found  aboard  of  her. 

She  was  owned  by  the  Neah  Bay  Indians  of 
Washington  (State),  though  her  captain  and  mate 
were  white  men.  The  name  of  the  owner  was 
Chestoqua  Peterson.  The  way  in  which  he  hap- 
pened to  receive  that  name  was  this  :  His  father, 
the  chief  of  the  tribe,  was  named  CJtestoqua  Petfv. 
In  making  out  the  vessel's  papers  his  name  was  put 
down  as  Chestoqua  Peter's  son,  converted  now  into 
a  Dutch  name  and  transforming  a  North  American 
Indian  into  a  "  Dutchman." 

The  James  G.  Swaji  was  sent  to  Sitka  as  were  the 
other  prizes,  however  she  did  not  appear  there  either,. 


U3= 


I 


M 


:ii 


1  . 

r      f 

i-     r-- 

J     [ 

iV 

158 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


but  ill  Port  Townsend,  where  Captain  S found 

her  on  the  arrival  of  the  Rush  at  that  place. 

The  vessel  was  named  after  a  great  friend  of  the 
Indians  in  that  part  of  the  country,  Judge  James  G. 
Swan,  of  Port  Townsend. 

She  was  caught  in  the  very  act.  It  must  have 
been  awkward  enough.  She  had  two  of  h^r  small 
boats  out,  containing  her  hunters,  and  they  were 
unable  to  come  up  with  their  vessel  before  the  Rush 
overtook  her.  The  hunters  were  all  Indians,  and 
used  their  own  canoes,  or  dugouts,  as  they  are  com- 
monly called,  also  carrying  their  native  spears, 
which  I  have  already  described.  The  Indian  hunt- 
ers were  very  wroth  over  giving  up  their  weapons. 

The  guns  taken  from  the  vessels  seized  were  in 
every  ease  carefully  marked  with  the  individual 
owner's  name  attached  to  it,  to  be  returned  to  them 
in  Sitka.  Thus  it  was  to  their  interest  to  go  there, 
if  they  desired  to  get  them. 

The  next  day  a  good  joke  happened  on  all  of  the 
officers  as  well  as  my  husband.  A  enliooner  was 
reported  by  our  sharp-eyed  little  sailor,  "  Nelson." 
The  only  gift  he  had  was  his  good  eyesight ;  further 
than  that  he  had  few  merits,  but  he  could  spy  ^j^v. 
thing  as  readily  as  the  rest  could  with  a  glass. 

The  Rush  started  full  speed,  as  usual,  after  the 
schooner.  The  whale-boat  was  all  readv  to  be  low- 
ered,  and  the  usual  excitement  prevailed.  When 
being  near  enough  to  see  the  letters  of  her  name  it 
was  simultaneously   discovered   to   be   the  already 


CHASING  THE  *' SEALERS" 


169 


captured  James  0.  Swan  of  the  night  before.  Great 
was  the  fun  and  joking  on  the  discovery.  We  were 
so  near  her  before  we  made  her  out  she  had  "  hauled 
her  jib  to  windward,"  supposing  we  had  something 
more  to  communicate.  Each  officer  had  a  good 
excuse  as  to  why  he  did  not  recognize  her  sooner. 
What  had  rendered  them  so  unsuspicious  was  the 
fact  she  had  changed  her  course  and  not  followed 
the  one  originally  intended. 

I  asked  my  husband  how  many  buckets  of  coal  he 
was  out,  but  he  declined  to  answer  the  impertinent 
question. 

The  same  day,  in  the  morning,  had  been  captured 
the  J^ianita,  a  British  sealer.  She  had  aboard  six 
hundred  and  nineteen  sealskins. 

During  the  following  days  many  other  sealers 
were  seen  and  boarded,  some  seized  and  some  not, 
according  to  circumstances. 

Two  years  before  one  of  the  sealers  captured  con- 
tained  the  large  number  of  fifteen  hundred  skins. 

The  sealskin,  in  its  raw  state,  the  summer  of  1889, 
was  estimated  at  $8  a  skin.  Multiply  by  855,  the 
number  found  on  the  Pathfinder,  and  we  have  an 
approximate  •  loss  of  about  seven  thousand  dollars, 
besides  the  vessel,  to  the  owners.  If,  therefore,  the 
Hcliooners  succeeded  escaping  detection,  the  profit 
would  bo  enough  to  pay  for  the  risk  incurred.  It  is 
no  wonder  such  as  see  no  fairness  iu  the  prohibition 
take  the  cliances. 


f 


111 


i 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


RETURN   TO   OONALASKA. 


m  FTER  A  SHORT  TRIP  of  ten  days  I  found 
^1^  myself  again  facing  Oonalaska.  It  was  with 
a  greater  degree  of  pleasure  than  I  had  anticipated 
that  I  reflected  it  was  to  be  my  abiding  place  for  still 
another  month.  There  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  read 
and  dream  the  hours  away,  relieved  by  almost  daily 
short  walks  and  boat  rides,  when  the  weather  per- 
mitted. No  tiresome  calls,  no  "  at  home"  days  and 
other  wearisome  society  claims  on  one's  time.  I 
was  once  again  in  my  little  library,  mine  for  the 
time  being,  picking  Dver  books,  running  over  a  few 
songs  on  the  organ,  and  thoroughl}'-  glad  my  visit  to 
the  Seal  Islands  and  dreaded  sea  trip  was  over, 
though  altogether  it  had  been  very  pleasant. 

Little  Emma  came  aboard  the  Rush  promptly 
on  our  arrival,  freighted  with  all  the  news,  social 
and  political,  that  had  happened  during  our  absence. 
The  first  fact  v/as  startling  :  "  the  missing  woman 
had  been  found."  I  had  omitted  relating  in  its 
proper  place  the  story  of  a  poor  native  woman  who, 
a  few  days  after  our  arrival  at  Oonalaska,  had  been 
discovered  to  be  missing,  and  had  never  been  heard 
Oi  since.  A  thorough  search  had  been  made  for  her, 
but  no  traces  could  be  found.    Her  disappearance  had 

(ICO) 


^ 


RETURN  TO  OONALASKA 


161 


remained  an  entire  mystery.  Conjectures  had  been 
made,  and  many  hinted  at  drowning,  but  no  evi- 
dences were  discovered.  But  at  length,  us  Emma 
related,  the  mystery  had  been  partially  cleared  by  her 
dead  body  being  washed  up  on  the  beach,  as  it  were, 
at  the  very  doors  of  the  "big  house."  The  sea  had 
given  up  its  dead.  No  clue  to  the  means  of  her  death 
had  been  found,  whether  voluntary  or  otherwise. 
We  inclined  to  the  belief  it  was  an  accident.  Her  life 
had  gone  out  as  a  light  by  day,  and  been  as  little 
missed,  to  all  outward  appearance.  Yet  in  some 
heart  of  sister,  brother,  husband  or  child,  perhaps, 
a  lament  was  made  unknown  to  all  but  One. 

We  had  several  lovely,  bright,  sunshiny  days  at 
Oonalaska  after  our  return.  The  sun  was  even 
oppressively  hot,  or  it  felt  so,  in  our  heavy  clothing. 
It  seemed  more  as  August  should  be.  To  remain 
indoors  was  out  of  the  question.  Mr.  N des- 
canted on  the  excellences  of  the  "  banana  belt,"  as 
he  laughingly  calls  Oonalaska.  The  sun  does  seem 
to  cr-rcontrate  his  rays  on  this  particular  spot.  The 
mor  aiiig.j  were  nearlj'-  always  bright  and  sunny ;  later, 
in  tiie  afternoon,  it  would  often  cloud  over.  My 
husband  said  the  sun  never  seemed  to  shine  any- 
where else  on  the  islands  as  far  as  he  had  had  expe- 
rience. 

At  dinner  we  had  fresh,  delicious  lettuce  and  sweet 
tender  radishes  from  the  garden.  A  bed  of  English 
daisies  were  in  full  bloom.  I  must  not  forget  to 
mention  the  wild  celery  which  abounds  over  the 

Cruise  op  thr  "Rush."    11 


(•! 


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® 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


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11.25 


2.5 
2.2 


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2.0 


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U    116 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STIifT 

WIBSTn,N.Y.  MStO 

(71ft)«72-4S03 


mmmmmmmmmfimmmii 


162 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


hills,  and  which  the  natives  eat.     It  is  not  unpala- 
table ;  one  could  cultivate  a  taste  for  it. 

For  a  day  or  two  after  our  return  my  husband  had 
his  hands  full,  superintending  the  careful  storing  of 
the  sealskins  he  had  ^aken.  then  numbering  over 
two  thousand.  These  are,  when  freshly  caught, 
hastily  salted  and  piled  one  upon  another.  After  a 
a  week,  or  a  little  longer,  they  have  all  to  be  taken 
down  and  resalted  separately,  with  the  utmost  care 
Any  carelessness,  and  too  great  economy  of  the  salt, 
might  entirely  ruin  the  skins.  They  had  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  warehouse  from  the  Rush,  anu  stacked 
up  there  to  await  final  disposal  of  them.  They  are 
sold  at  auction,  and  the  proceeds  go  to  the  Govern- 
ment. Th&  vessels  captured  are  also  sold  in  the 
same  way.  The  sealskins  are  not,  as  many  imagine, 
particularly  valuable  in  their  natural  state.  It  no 
more  resembles  the  sealskin  as  one  sees  it  made  up 
in  the  coat  than  the  glossy  hide  of  a  gray  horse  does. 
The  natural  color  is  a  dark  gray,  very  smooth  and 
shiny.  This  is  hair.  The  fur  is  shorter  and  hidden 
by  it.  The  outer  gray  hair  is  removed  entirely,  or 
plucked,  as  it  is  called.  When  removed  it  leaves  the 
fur,  which  is  then  a  light  tf)n  or  fawn  color.  This  is 
now  dyed  into  the  deep  rich  brown  tint  of  the  seal- 
skin of  commerce. 

The  greatest  number  of  sealskins  are  prepared  in 
London,  where  they  are  most  successfully  dyed  and 
finished.  In  the  United  States  there  are  two  or  three 
establishments  where  sealskins  are  prepared,  but  not 


,t,   ,  i.W  >V' 


RETURN  TO  OOXALASKA 


163 


with  the  success  of  the  London  firms.  It  is  this,  then, 
that  makes  the  skins,  or  rather  the  finished  furs,  so 
valuable.  The  process  through  which  they  are  put 
is  a  very  tedious  and  difficult  one,  and  this  raises  the 
price  to  such  a  disproportionate  value.  Again,  the 
sealskin  is  not  large,  and  many  have  to  be  used  in 
one  garment. 

The  natives  are  quite  ingenious  in  the  use  of  the 
natural  sealskin,  of  which  they  make  a  number  of 
things,  such  as  blankets,  mats,  gloves,  coats  and  caps. 
To  make  the  blanket  they  take  strips  of  the  sealskin 
from  the  back  of  the  seal,  where  it  is  darkest. 
Underneath,  at  the  throat,  it  is  nearly  white.  These 
strips  are  about  six  inches  broad,  and  three-quarters 
of  a  yard  long.  For  a  good  sized  blanket  they  take 
about  two  dozen  of  these,  and  sew  them  neatly 
together.  It  makes,  when  lined,  a  very  nice  carriage 
robe.  The  mats  are  made  much  more  elaborately. 
They  cut  into  diamond  shape  pieces,  the  white  and 
dark  sealskin.  These  they  sew  together  as  one  would 
patchwork,  in  alternate  light  and  dark  pieces. 
Around  this  they  put  a  border  of  the  plain  dark 
skin.  These  make  very  pretty  ornamental  rugs. 
The  gloves  are  somewhat  tou  clumsy,  though  they  are 
useful  for  Arctic  wear,  and  during  the  winter  time 
at  Oonalaska,  or  for  driving-gloves  on  an  Eastern 
winter  day.  The  entire  coat  is  made  of  the  sealskin 
lined  neatly  with  red  flannel,  and  frequently  orna- 
mented with  buttons  formed  of  seal's  teeth.  The 
caps  are  too  heavy  for  comfort,  except  in  extremely 


'     r'-  "''  i'^I.Mf„l„li)'l 


■ft 

B 

H 

- 1 

)  I 

'  f 

164 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


cold  weather,  the  sealskin  with  the  hair  on  being 
much  heavier  than  the  plucked. 

The  magnificent  sea-otter  is  by  far  the  most  valu- 
able and  olegant  fur  to  be  found.  The  poorest  full- 
grown  skin  is  valued  at  about  one  hundred  dollars. 
The  sea-otter  is  not  very  plentiful.  The  chief  beauty 
of  the  skins  is  the  silver  hairs  with  which  they  are 
sprinkled.  These  are  called  the  silver-tipped  sea- 
otter.  On  only  the  older  otter  are  these  silver  hairs 
found,  and  it  is  to  them  it  owes  it  value.  It  is,  in  fact, 
a  regal  fur,  fit,  by  its  rarity  and  value,  for  kings  and 
queens.  An  imitation  is  made  very  cleverly  by 
fastening  the  white  hairs  into  more  inferior  fur. 

About  the  3d  or  4th  of  August  seven  bydarkas 
came  into  the  harbor  abreast.  These  contained  two 
or  three  men  apiece,  as  the  case  might  be.  They 
were  sea-otter  hunters  from  Oonalaska,  who  had  been 
away  on  their  yearly  hunt.  Their  success  had  not 
been  very  great  this  year.  But  to  us  their  coming 
was  of  great  interest,  from  the  fact  they  brought  us 
mail.  They  had  crossed  the  path  of  the  schooner 
Nicoline,  from  San  Francisco,  aboard  of  which  had 
been  sent  mail  for  the  Thetis,  Bear  and  Rush.  The 
captain,  hazarding  that  precious  freight,  had  con- 
signed it  to  several  different  bydarkas,  so  that  it 
might  not  all  be  lost,  if  perhaps  one  be  overturned. 

Mr.  N said  it  was  the  first  time  he  had  had  mail 

by  those  "  fast  ocean  steamers."  However,  it  arrived 
safely,  and  we  were  glad  to  get  it. 

I  watched   the    bydarkas   as  they  came  in,  so 


RETURN  TO  OONALASKA 


160 


swiftly  and  silently,  like  huge  fish  in  the  water. 
One  landed  almost  under  my  window.  The  three 
inmates  got  out,  shook  themselves,  as  well  they 
might  after  the  many  hours  spent  in  that  cramped 
position,  raised  their  light  little  craft  out  of  the 
water,  walked  a  few  yards  up  on  the  beach  with 
it,  put  it  carefully  on  the  ground,  sat  down  and  took 
out  their  pipes  and  calmly  began  to  smoke.  This 
after  an  absence  of  at  least  two  or  three  months 
from  their  wives  and  families.  There  was  the  sto- 
lidity of  the  genuine  savage !  The  total  absence  of 
excitement,  of  enthusiasm  or  curiosity.  Neither 
was  there  any  particular  excitement  manifested  on 
the  part  of  the  villagers.  Imagine  our  feelings 
should  we  see  our  husbands  and  fathers  returning 
from  a  long  perilous  voyage  on  the  sea,  exposed  to 
every  possible  danger,  and  from  whom  in  all  that 
time  we  had  not  heard  a  word. 

A  fleet  of  eleven  more  bydarkas  came  in  a  few 
days  later.  The  hunters  belonged  to  Makushin, 
another  village  on  Oonalaska  Island. 

We  found  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company's 
schooner  Pearl  in  Oonalaska  on  our  return  from 
the  Seal  Islands,  and  learned  she  had  brought  seven- 
teen hundred  cases  of  canned  salmon  from  a  cannery 
at  Thin  or  Tin  Point,  as  many  call  it,  near  Cape 
Pankoff  on  the  peninsula.  Each  case  contained 
four  dozen  cans.  They  had  had  splendid  success  at 
the  salmon  catch  this  year.  There  are  no  canneries 
on  the  Aleutian  Islands,  but   quite   a  number  on 


166 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


the  mainland  of  Alaska.  The  largest  one  is  called 
Karluk  and  is  on  the  northwest  end  of  Kadiak 
Island.  It  was  not  doing  so  well  this  year  (1889) 
as  formerly.  There  they  put  up  in  a  good  season 
one  hundred  thousand  cases.  Quite  a  market  is 
found  in  London  for  the  canned  salmon. 

The  canneries  are  a  great  source  of  wealth  to  many. 
The  fish  is  found  in  abundance  in  these  northern 
waters,  along  the  coast  of  Alaska  and  in  the  Behring 
Sea,  and  are  not  surpassed  in  quality  anywhere. 

The  St.  Paul,  whose  return  from  St.  Michael's  was 
soon  expected,  was  to  deliver  these  cases  in  San 
Francisco.  By  her  we  had  another  opportunity  of 
sending  mail  and  much  letter  writing  was  in  pro- 
gress. The  Dora  was  expected  soon,  also,  from  San 
Francisco,  with,  we  hoped,  still  later  news  from  home. 

The  bydarkas  had  brought  a  few  newspapers  from 
San  Francisco  as  late  as  July  second.  The  only 
item  in  which  we  took  any  particular  interest  was 
that  about,  our,  the  American,  exhibition  at  Paris. 
We  could  have  done  very  well  without  this  item  of 
news.  Our  faces  did  not  light  up  with  pride  as  we 
read  of  it.  We  read  of  our  glorious  nation ;  we 
think  with  pride  of  our  inventions,  our  unsurpass- 
able conveniences  and  luxuries  in  our  private  lives, 
and  we  look  down  on  the  foreigner.  Yet  how  do  we 
actually  look  as  compared  to  him  at  the  great  Paris 
Exposition  ?  With  many  millions  in  the  Treasury 
and  thousands  of  clear  headed  men  in  the  country 
notwithstanding.     Why  is  it? 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


AfM 

m 


ITEMS   IN    BRIEF. 

OFTER  four  or  five  days  in  port  the  Rush 
^1"  again  started  off  on  her  regular  cruise  to  the 
islands.  We  bade  them  adieu,  not  expecting  to  see 
her  for  nine  or  ten  days.  That  same  evening 
a  steamer  was  reported  outside.  It  was  then  dusk 
and  only  the  smoke  was  visible.  A  little  later 
appeared  the  steamer,  next,  it  was  discovered  she 
had  a  schooner  in  tow.  The  Albatross  (Fish  Com- 
mission) was  expected  there  any  time,  and  when 
the  steamer  was  reported  we  immediately  exclaimed: 
"  The  Albatrossl "  Yet,  when  the  schooner  was 
sighted,  we  said  it  must  be  the  Rush  with  a  sealer. 
On  she  came  through  the  fast  gathering  darkness, 
and  it  was  not  till  she  was  sailing  past  the  "  big 
house"  we  discovered  the  vessel  in  tow  to  be  the 
company's  schooner,  the  Matthew  Turner,  and  that 
part  of  her  foremast  was  gone  and  other  evidences 
of  a  disaster  were  visible.  Several  days  previous  she 
had  started  for  the  island  of  St.  Paul  with  freight 
and  several  passengers  aboard,  but  had  not  been 
able  to  make  the  trip,  owing  to  the  accident.  The 
Rush  had  found  her  drifting  helplessly  about,  unable 
to  make  the  harbor.  When  first  spied  the  Matthew 
Turner  w&s  mistaken  for  a  sealer,  and  with  the  usual 

( 167  ) 


168 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


I ' 


promptitude  the  course  had  been  changed,  and  they 
had  come  up  with  her  at  full  speed.  A  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance for  her,  as  several  days  or  more  might 
have  elapsed  before  being  able  to  come  into  Oon- 
alaska  with  the  sail  she  had  left,  unless  the  wind  was 
exactly  favorable.  The  carpenter  from  the  Rush  was 
left  behind  to  repair  damages,  and  at  daylight  the 
Hush  again  started  on  her  cruise. 

Every  day  during  August  the  natives  were  put- 
ting off  by  the  boatfuU,  men,  women  and  children, 
to  different  portions  of  the  island,  to  fish  and  pre- 
pare their  food  for  the  coming  winter.  They  catch 
the  salmon  in  seines,  and  then  selecting  a  spot  near 
by  where  they  are  landed  on  the  beach,  the  women 
spend  the  day  cleaning  them  and  hanging  them  up 
to  dry.  Here,  there,  everywhere  one  might  see 
posts  standing  connected  by  horizontal  pieces  on 
which  were  strung  the  drying  salmon.  The  natives 
enjoy  this  fully  as  much  as  the  berry-hunting  a  lit- 
tle later. 

The  malina  berry  grows  about  Oonalaska  in  great 
numbers  and  is  very  nice  indeed.  It  is  the  same  as 
that  called  the  "salmon  berry,"  found  at  Sitka  and 
vicinity.  It  is  large,  red  and  juicy,  resembling  a 
blackberry,  though  much  larger.  At  Sitka  yellow 
ones  are  also  found,  the  same  in  flavor  as  the  red. 
The  natives  are  very  fond  of  them.  The  blossom 
is  a  pretty  pink  bell-shaped  flower  about  the  size 
of  a  large  thimble,  such  as  men  use,  open  at  one 
end.    Blueberries  and  huckleberries  also  grow  there. 


ITEMS  IN  BRIEF 


169 


The  berries  ripen  a  little  later  in  Oonalaska  than  in 
Sitka.  At  the  latter  place  the  first  day  of  August 
the  Indians  term  "  Berry  Day  ; "  the  berries  are  then 
all  ripe.     It  has  its  appropriate  celebration. 

On   the   first  day  of  August  last  year  (1888)   a 

friend,  Mrs.  E ,  and  myself  pulled  over  to  one  of 

the  pretty  little  islands  in  the  harbor  of  Sitka.  As  we 
roamed  around,  busily  picking  the  many  berries 
we  found  there,  we  heard  a  faint  sound  of  singing 
resembling  a  chant,  of  a  strange  weird  character.  It 
was  a  beautiful  day,  the  sky  and  air  clear,  the  sea  blue 
and  the  sky  blue.  All  else  was  still,  and  we  listened, 
fairly  holding  our  breaths,  as  gradually  the  sounds 
approached  nearer  and  nearer.  At  last  out  from 
behind  the  island  on  which  we  were  shot  a  large 
canoe  filled  with  Indians,  and  gaily  trimmed  with 
strips  of  white  and  red  cloth  extended  over  a  rude 
frame,  erected  somewhat  like  a  canopy.  They  were 
still  singing  their  strange  and  monotonous  song, 
keeping  time  with  their  paddles.  We  stood  as  if 
entranced,  watching  them  as  they  drifted  ajiray  out 
of  sight,  their  song  growing  fainter  and  fainter  in 
the  distance.  There  was  something  so  distinctly 
primitive  in  the  whole  scene,  we  seemed  to  be  taken 
back  to  the  time  when  the  only  inhabitants  of  this 
land  were  the  savages.  It  remained  in  my  mind  like 
a  scene  pictured  on  the  page  of  a  book,  so  ud  like  the 
common  occurrences  of  our  daily  life  did  it  appear 
— a  page  from  Cooper's  novels,  or  more  like  the 
dreamy  picture  of  one's  imagination. 


.?•«< 
m 


1 1 

! 
I 


I ':    m 


17a 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


Oq  the  10th  of  August  we  found  the  first  ripe 
malina  at  Oonalaska,  therefore  I  inferred  it  must  he 
warmer  earlier  and  longer  at  Sitka. 

One  morning  soon  afterward  I  was  startled  by  Gee 
(our  chambermaid)  coming  to  the  door  and  announc- 
ing to  me  in  great  excitement,  while  I  lay  peace- 
fully dosing  in  my  bed,  "  Mrs.  Sheppe  (Chinese  for 
Shepard)  Mrs.  Sheppe,  steamer  St.  Paul  light  here, 
*  Lush '  [RusKl  comin'  in  !  "  This  meant  life  and 
bustle  for  the  next  three  or  four  days.  The 
St.  Paul  was  on  her  way  to  San  Francisco  with  pas- 
sengers and  freight  from  St.  MichaePs  and  Seal 
Islands.  Among  the  passengers  were  the  two  ladies, 

Mrs.  L  and  Mrs.  M ,  I  met  at  St.  George  and 

St.  Paul  respectively.  It  was  very  agreeable  to  be  able 
to  play  hostess  in  my  turn,  and  make  their  stay 
at  Oonalaska  pleasant.  The  Rush  had  been  out  on 
one  of  her  customary  cruises^  and  was  just  return- 
ing. They  were  both  soon  at  anchor,  the  St.  Paul 
on  one  side  of  the  wharf,  and  the  Rush  right 
across  the  way  on  the  other. 

After  calls  were  exchanged,  the  next  two  or  three 
days  being  beautiful,  rowing  and  walking  were  the^ 
order  of  the  day. 

It  occurred  to  me  now  ;7as  just  the  time  for  a 
little  dance  aboard  the  Rush.  After  a  short  con- 
versation with  my  husband  I  received  permission 
to  have  one  the  next  evening.  The  officers  were^ 
also  in  the  spirit  of  it,  and  we  resolved  to  have  it 
a  partnership  affair.   Every  available  and  congenial 


p|l»»?«P«»w^<p»f!PJp^»lff 


ITEMS  IN  BRIEF 


171 


person  but  the  pure  Aleute  was  invited,  of  those 
belonging  to  Oonalaska,  and  all  aboard  the  St.  Paul, 
besides  the  two  ladies,  there  being  several  gentlemen 
aboard.  The  decks  were  cleared,  the  awning  put 
up,  while  flags  decorated  the  interior  after  an 
approved  fashion,  the  work  of  our  artistic  lieutenants, 

M and  D .     We  were  at  our  wits*  end  for 

music,  but  Mr.  N kindly  lent  us  the  cabinet 

organ,  and  with  an  accordion  the  music  was  pass- 
able. On  the  latter,  one  of  the  natives  played  very 
well  almost  any  kind  of  dance  music  desired;  and 

Mrs.  M ,  a  natural  musician,  helped  us  out  on  the 

organ  beautifully. 

The  party  was  pronounced  an  entire  success.  To 
be  sure,  there  was  not  much  sociability  between  the 
Russian  ladies  and  ourselves,  but  to  dance  was  all 
that  was  necessary. 


i.  1 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 


THE   CAVB. 


cp 


,E  WERE  NOW  TALKING  about  our  near 
departure  for  Sitka,  which  was  to  be  in  the 
course  of  two  weeks'  time,  if  nothing  happened.  My 
husband  expected  the  Bear  to  arrive  at  Oonalaska 
before  the  1st  of  September,  to  relieve  the  Rush;  the 
Bear  remaining  in  those  regions  till  later  in  the 
fall.     As  soon  as  she  arrived  we  were  to  start. 

I  begun  to  look  about  me  and  consider  if  I  had 
thoroughly  availed  myself  of  everything  in  the  way 
of  adventure  and  nOvelty  near  Oonalaska. 

At  table  we  had  often  discussed  the  natural 
features  of  the  island,  among  which  one  particular 

one  took  my  fancy.   Dr.  C said  there  was  a  cave 

on  the  side  of  a  mountain  not  a  great  distance  by 
water  from  us,  which  had  a  curious  legend  con- 
cerning it,  and  which  he  had  long  wished  to 
explore. 

The  legend  was  that  in  it  long  ago  lived  an  old, 

old  woman,  who  would  steal  her  way  into  the  town 

at  dead  of  night  and  entice  away  the  young  men, 

one  at  a    time,    carrying  him  off  to   her   almost 

inaccessible  place  of  abode,  from  which  ti.  lo  he  was 

never  heard  of  more.    The  story  shows,  evideatly,  a 

belief  among  the  Aleutes  in  witches  and  « itohcraft. 

ri72) 


THE  CAVE 


178 


This  cave  also  had  its  tradition  among  the  Rus- 
sians. In  one  of  the  old  Russian  books  it  is 
described  as  being  of  great  length,  extending 
through  the  mount air^  ^rom  one  side  to  the  other. 
At  its  mouth,  on  either  fa\uG,  lights  were  said  to  Imvo 
been  seen  in  the  midnight  gloom,  together  with  many 
other  signs  of  mybterions  life  within  its  cavernous 
depths. 

There  was  also  a  report  that  it  had  been  in  past 
years  a  place  of  burial,  and  that  there  were  mum- 
mies there.  These  mysteries  had  never  been  solved, 
by  any  wnite  person  at  least,  and  therefore  took 
hold  of  my  fancy  very  strongly. 

I  proposed  to  the  doctor  that  I  obtain  my  husband's 
consent  to  furnish  all  the  facilities,  such  as  ropes, 
lanterns,  men  and  a  boat,  if  I  could  go  too.  The 
sailors  were  all  through  coaling  ship,  and  it  was  a 
kind  of  holiday,  so  my  husband  said  yes.  This  was 
at  breakfast;  at  about  ten  we  were  all  ready,  and 
provided  with  everything  we  could  think  of  for  the 
expedition.  We  could  see  the  cave  from  the  vessel,  a 
little  black  hole  about  as  large  as  a  plate  at  that 
distance,  in  a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock,  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  high. 

It  seemed  really  I  a  accessible,  but  this  added  zest 
to  the  adventure.     At  least  we  could  try. 

Capt.  S ,  Chief  Engineer  D ,  Lieut. W , 

Dr.  0 and  myself  formed  the  party,  accom- 
panied by  my  two  boys,  who  went  in  the  boat  and 
remained  playing  around  on  the  beach  where  we 


174 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH"^ 


r 


landed.  There  were,  besides,  four  men — our  sailors. 
We  had  a  fair  wind  and  sailed  the  boat  over  to  the 
base  of  the  mountain.     It  was  a  lovely  sail  in  itself. 

We  saw,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  two,  a  school 
of  whales  sporting  and  spouting  about  in  the  water 
like  so  many  animated  fountains.  They  were  not  a 
valuable  whale — **  fin-backs"  they  were  called.  The 
doctor  was  ready  to  shoot  any  kind  of  a  bird  that 
came  in  his  way,  but  we  only  saw  muir,  and  they 
flew  away  before  he  was  near  enough  to  shoot  them. 
One  of  the  men  said  afterwards,  in  his  climbing  he 
disturbed  about  fifty  ptarmigan,  or  grouse,  but  he 
had  no  gun  and  the  doctor  was  too  far  away  to  ca]), 
80  they  were  lost  to  us. 

We  had,  of  course,  a  lunch,  this  time  enough  for 
two  meals,  if  necessary,  and  a  greater  variety  than 
on  our  former  expedition,  for  I  attended  to  it  myself. 

It  was  hard  to  determine  the  easiest  mode  of  reach- 
ing the  top  of  the  rock,  near  where  the  cave  was. 
Climbing  up  to  it  from  below  was,  at  a  glance,  pro- 
nounced an  impossibility.  There  was  scarce  a  foot- 
hold for  a  bird  on  the  face  of  the  rock  up  to  the  cave. 
Above  it  the  rocks  were  a  little  more  broken.  We 
divided  our  party,  one-half  going  one  way  and  the 
other  half  the  other.  Climbing  was  extremely  diffi- 
cult, we  had  to  pull  ourselves  up,  by  the  small 
bushes  and  grass,  so  steep  was  the  entire  side  of  the 
mountain,  a  distance  of  a  thousand  or  twelve  hun- 
dred feet,  approaching  the  top  by  a  slight  circuit. 
It  was  hard  work ;  we  panted  so  we  could  scarce 


mmm 


^m 


w^^m 


THE  CAVt: 


175 


speak,  and  were  compelled  to  pause  frequently.  Still 
there  seemed  to  be  an  irresistible  attraction  about 
that  mysterious  cave,  alluring  us  ever  on  and  on,  and 
we  would  not  give  it  up.  "We  left  the  grass  line  and 
began  our  steepest  and  most  dangerous  climb,  in  a 
horizontal  line  across  the  face  of  the  rock.  Below 
us  was  instant  death  should  we  lose  our  hold,  or 
should  the  crumbling  mass  give  way  under  our 
weight,  for  we  found  the  rock  was  untrustworthy 
owing  to  the  action  of  the  frost.  Many  solid  looking 
pieces  jutting  out  would,  at  a  touch,  fall,  crashing 
to  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  so  that  each  foothold  or  rest 
for  the  hand  had  to  be  tried  previous  to  trusting 
one's  life  to  it.  It  was  therefore  slow  and  difficult 
work.  My  companion  and  I  had  seemed  when 
last  we  noticed  to  be  nearer  our  destination  than 
any  of  the  rest.  It  was  now  my  ambition  to  get 
there  first,  therefore  I  crept  on  slowly  and  carefully, 
spurred  by  the  thought,  till,  pausing  for  a  moment 
and  thinking  I  must  be  directly  over  the  «ave, 
as  nearly  as  I  could  tell,  a  voice  said  softly,  **  You're 
doing  well!"  It  was  the  doctor,  who  had  arrived 
a  few  moments  before  by  another  route,  and  who 
was  about  ten  feet  above  me.  He  spoke  gently, 
so  as  not  to  startle  me.  He  helped  me  up  and  we 
shook  hands  in  a  congratulatory  way,  and  sat  down 
in  a  little  hollow  we  found,  where  one  could  rest  with 
some  comfort  and  security,  to  discuss  matters. 

Soon  we  were  joined  by  the  sailors,  one  by  one, 
and  Lieut.  W .     Mr.  D was  feeling  so  unwell 


176 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


\ 


j 


he  had  to  give  it  up.  The  doctor  would  not  allow 
me  to  stir  a  step  farther,  as  I  wished  to  do,  to  the 
very  edge  of  the  cliff,  where  I  might  look  over.  He 
so  determinedly  opposed  me  that  I  had  to  turn  back. 
It  was,  I  knew,  a  foolhardy  thing  to  attempt. 

Being  unable  to  locate  the  cave  from  the  top  of  the 
rock,  we  finally  thought  the  best  plan  was  for  two  of 
us  to  go  down  again  to  a  ^^osition  where  we  could 
see  the  cave  from  below,  and  point  out  as  near 
as  possible  its  whereabouts.  So  choosing  what  was 
pronounced  the  best  way,  by  trial,  for  our  descent, 
we  climbed  down  again,  slipping  and  sliding  the 
most  of  the  way.  But  we  could  not  get  a  point  from 
which  we  could  see  the  cave  sufficiently  near  to 
communicate  what  we  saw.  However,  one  of  the 
men  found  at  last  a  great  rock  projecting  from  the 
base  of  the  cliff,  at  such  an  angle  that  he  had  a 
good  view  of  it.  After  many  struggles  I  managed 
to  take  his  place,  and  he  went  back  to  the  top  of  the 
rock  to  help  lower  the  doctor  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave 
They  found  a  good  solid  rock,  around  which  the  rope 
was  securely  tied,  as  only  sailors  can  tie  ropes,  and 
the  other  end  was  lowered  directly  over  the  cave. 
All  was  now  ready,  and  "  Mac,"  as  my  boys  called 
him,  one  of  our  sailors,  as  kind-hearted,  willing  and 
energetic  a  Scotchman  as  one  ever  saw,  and  a  great 
favorite  with  them,  let  himself  down  hand  over 
hand,  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  getting  a 
slight  footing  on  the  rocks.     I  watched  him,  holding 


mm. 


:mm 


THE  CAVE 


177 


my  breath  the  while,  in  my  excitement  and  anxiety 
as  to  his  fate,  and  the  discovery  about  to  be  made. 

He  reached  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  disappeared,, 
and  in  two  moments  was  out  again  and  shouted, 
"  Nothing  in  there,  ma'am  !"  Now  who  will  dispute 
the  fact  that  after  all  my  trials  and  hard  work  and 
hopes  of  discovery,  this  was  most  trying  and  disap- 
pointing beyond  anything.  At.  any  rate  we  had 
discovered  there  was  nothing,  and  that  was  some- 
thing. Another  of  the  men  went  down  for  curiosity, 

but  Dr.  C did  not  think  it  worth  while.     The 

cave  was  only  about  twenty  or  thirty  feet  deep.  Had 
there  been  a  mummy  there  it  was  my  determina- 
tion to  be  lowered  to  the  cave  also.  However,  I  was; 
somewhat  relieved  that  my  determination  had  not  to 
be  carried  into  effect.  We  now  all  started  back  to  the 
boat,  ready  for  lunch.  It  was  then  about  half- 
past  two  or  three,  and  we  were  quite  faint  with 
hunger  after  our  exertions.  Our  descent  took  about 
an  hour  and  a  half  altogether,  and  we  were  quite 
ready  for  the  good  cheer  speedily  spread  out  before 
us.  After  eating  a  hearty  lunch  we  felt  very  much 
refreshed. 

Fortunately,  after  arriving  at  the  boat,  it  was  all 
plain  sailing,  and  our  exertions  were  at  an  end. 
We  were  soon  at  the  wharf  alongside  the  Rush, 
elated  at  the  fact  we  had  at  least  accomplis\ed  our 
purpose,  though  glad  to  be  back. 

Thus  ended  our  memorable  and  long-taiked-of 
expedition.      Among    one  of  the  incidents  of  the 

Cruise  of  the  "  Bush."    12 


178 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


' 


f 


day  was  the  hair's-breadth  escape  from  death  of  the 
doctor,  and  I  came  near  being  the  cause  of  it.  In 
my  upward  ascent  I  grasped  hold  of  a  piece  of  rock 
about  the  size  of  a  water-pitcher,  which  immediately 
gave  way,  and,  for  all  I  could  do,  rolled  down  the 
steep  incline.  The  doctor  was  some  hundred  feet 
below,  in  a  direct  line,  at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  and 
the  rock,  I  knew,  could  not  fail  to  strike  him.  I 
shrieked,  "  Doctor,  doctor,  look  out !  "  almost  losing 
my  own  hold  in  my  agitation.  He  heard  me  just 
in  time  to  leap  under  a  little  projection  of  rock 
before  it  reached  him.  Had  it  struck  him  it 
would  have  killed  him  instantly. 

On  Mac's  return  to  the  Rush  he  related  to  his 
shipmates  a  wonderful  story  concerning  the  cave. 
He  told  them  it  was  two  or  three  miles  long,  and 
contained  two  or  three  hundred  mummies, etc., etc.; 
dilating  on  the  difficulty  of  getting  to  it,  for  his  own 
greater  glory.  This  fired  the  ambition  of  several 
other  sailors,  who  next  day,  being  granted  liberty, 
provided  themselves  with  all  the  necessary  para- 
phernalia, such  as  ropes,  lanterns,  and  so  forth .  and 
though  there  was  a  drivi'  g  mist  and  rain  started 
also  to  explore  the  wonderful  cave.  But  they  did 
not  arrive  at  their  destination,  owing  to  the  Blip- 
periness  of  the  rocks,  rendering  it  too  dangerous  an 
undertaking.  Yet  they  had  spent  almost  the  entire 
day  in  the  effort,  and  returned  tired  and  hungry,  to 
be  greeted  with  shouts  of  laughter  from  their  ship- 
mates on  board  who  were  in  the  secret. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


. 


LAST   DAYS   AT   OONALASKA. 

m  UGUST  TWENTIETH  the  Dora  arrived  from 
^1^  San  Francisco,  bringing  plenty  of  mail,  both 
of  letters  and  papers,  and,  besides  that,  fresh  fruit — 
watermelons,  peaches,  pears  and  apples;  such  a 
treat  !  . 

The  latest  papers  had  news  that  the  first  schooner 
captured,  as  we  half  anticipated,  went  to  Victoria 
instead  of  Sitka,  over  which  there  was  great  rejoicing 
and  jubilee  at  Victoria.  We  thought  it  was  no 
great  thing  for  a  captain  and  crew  to  overpower 
one  man,  one  poor  sailor,  Hakinson,  and  compel 
him  to  go  to  Victoria.  He  said  the  Indians  threat- 
ened to  kill  him  if  he  resisted. 

We  were  forwarded  numerous  extracts  from 
papers  from  different  places  with  startling  headings, 
such  as  "  Great  excitement  over  capture  of  sealing 
schooners,"  "The  English  men-of-war  to  the  rescue," 
etc.,  etc.  All  very  amusing  to  us,  undisturbed  as  the 
Rush  had  been  all  summer.  The  whole  of  the 
English  North  Pacific  Squadron  was  to  be  sent  up 
to  fight  the  little  Rush,  and  protect  their  schooners. 
In  another  article  "They  had  had  immediate  orders 
to  sail  to  Behring  Sea,"  etc.  My  husband  said  he 
guessed  they  must  have  gotten  lost  on  the  way,  per- 

( 179  ) 


180 


CRUISE  OP  THE   "RUSH 


^' 


. 


haps  he  had  better  go  and  look  them  up,  that  being 
part  of  his  duty.  The  English  sealers  were  more  sur- 
prised than  we  were  at  the  non-appearance  of  their 
countrymen. 

A  bark  arrived  a  few  days  after  the  Dora^  bringing 
one  thousand  tons  of  coal  for  the  use  of  the  Govern- 
ment vessels  stopping  at  Oonalaska.  The  coal  was 
from  Nanaimo. 

The  Bear  and  Albatross  were  daily  expected,  the  lat- 
ter, it  was  said,  was  coming  up  on  an  especial  inves- 
tigation in  regard  *to  the  seal  fisheries.  Last  year 
(1888)  she  was  locating  fish  banks  on  the  south 
coast  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  making  other 
investigations  in  regard  to  the  fish. 

The  fish  this  year  ('89)  had  proved  much  more 
scarce  than  in  former  years  to  "the  eastward,"  as 
we  called  it  at  Oonalaska,  and  the  largest  cannery 
at  Karluk,  on  the  island  of  Kadiak,  was  reported 
to  be  doing  very  little.  This  was  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  fish.  At  Oonalaska,  on  the  contrary,  the 
fish  were  said  to  be  more  abundant  than  usual. 
Our  men  caught  hundreds  of  salmon  in  the  seine 
at  a  haul  during  July  and  August. 

One  of  the  last  days  of  August  a  canoe  of  Indians 
was  found  by  one  of  the  natives  of  Oonalaska  on 
his  return  from  a  hunt.  These  poor  creatures  were 
lost  from  their  vessel,  an  English  sealer  and  had 
been  ten  days  afloat  in  their  frail  canoe,  living  on 
the  seal  they  were  able  to  capture.  They  were  Van- 
couver Island  Indians  of  the  Ahouset  tribe.     It  was 


' 


LAST  DAYS  AT  OONALASKA 


181 


all  the  Aleutes  could  do  to  persuade  them  to  come 
into  Oonalaska,  where  the  Rush  was,  for  fear  they 
would  be  taken  prisoners;  but  when  convinced  no 
harm  would  befall  them,  they  consented.  They 
were  disabled  from  having  been  so  long  in  the 
canoe,  and  almost  unable  to  walk,  their  feet  were  so 
swollen.  They  were  immediately  attended  to,  a  tent 
lent  them,  and  they  were  served  rations  from  the 
Rush,  like  the  men.  Later,  we  took  them,  canoes 
and  all,  on  the  cutter  to  Sitka. 

Five  days  afterwards  a  second  canoe  came  in  with 
three  other  Indians,  lost  from  the  same  schooner. 
They  reported  that  a  third  canoe  had  capsized,  and 
that  the  three  Indians  in  her  had  been  drowned- 
These  men  had  been  out  fifteen  days,  and  the  last 
five  days  were  in  a  heavy  gale.  The  wind  had 
been  blowing  almost  a  hurricane  outside ;  we  had 
had  a  very  high  wind  in  the  harbor,  and  feared  the 
Rush  might  break  from  her  moorings.  It  was  a 
miracle  that  in  so  severe  a  storm,  out  on  the  open 
sea,  a  mere  cockleshell,  such  as  that  canoe,  should 
have  been  safe.  No  one  but  an  Indian  accustomed 
to  it  from  childhood  could  have  so  handled  one, 
as  to  prevent  its  capsizing. 

The  weather  had  by  that  time,  the  end  of  August, 
become  more  changeable.  More  rain  was  beginning 
to  fall  and  the  winds  to  blow,  and  everything 
betokened  the  coming  of  fall  and  fall  weather. 
Therefore  I  felt  I  was  about  ready  to  leave.  My 
stay  had  been  everything  that  I  could  have  desired. 


182 


CRmSE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


I  had  been  agreeably  disappointed  in  many  things 
one  being  the  weather.  In  two  months  and  a  half 
I  was  in  Oonalaska  by  far  the  greater  half  of  the 
time  we  had  fine  weather — beautiful  days.  The  air 
was  very  exhilarating.  On  many  days  we  did  not 
need  wraps  when  walking  or  exercising.  The  time 
passed  very  quickly  and  pleasantly  by.  I  had  not 
accomplished  half  the  reading  I  intended  in  the 
long  rainy  days  I  anticipated  when  looking  forward 
to  my  summer  cruise  in  the  Behring  Sea.  The 
rainy  days  had  been  so  few  and  the  fine  ones  too 
tempting  to  resist  taking  advantage  of  them  in 
walking  and  boating.  Almost  every  morning  was 
pleasant,  the  rain  usually  came  in  the  afternoon. 

All  preparations  were  being  made  for  our  trip  to 
Sitka,  and  from  there  home  to  San  Francisco.  Coal 
was  taken  aboard  from  the  lately  arrived  bark,  and 
all  stowed  away  in  readiness  for  a  two  weeks'  sea 
trip.  We  hoped  the  Bear  would  arrive,  but  my  hus- 
band decided  not  to  wait  for  her,  her  arrival  being 
so  uncertain.  The  Dora  left  a  day  or  two  before  we 
started  on  a  tour  among  the  islands,  to  the  dififerent 
stations,  taking  with  her  Mr.  N and  Dr.  C 

The  summer  was  over  and  all  things  were  soon 
to  settle  down  to  the  long  calm  of  winter. 

Many  little  presents  were  made  to  me  by  one  and 
another  of  the  residents  of  Oonalaska,  as  souvenirs, 
such  as  baskets,  and  ornamental  things  made  of  the 
delicate  seal  intestine,  also  bydarkas  in  miniature, 


MIIMH 


mm 


LAST  DAYS  AT  OONALASKA 


183 


all  native  work,  besides  these  several  spears  and  the 
skins  of  young  seal. 

We  had  an  extra  passenger  aboard  the  Bush  to 
accompany  us  as  far  as  Sitka,  my  husband  having 
been  beseeched  by  the  gentlemen  living  at  Oona- 
laska  to  take  him  off  of  their  hands.  This  was  one 
of  the  most  Irish  Irishmen  I  ever  saw,  and  afforded 
us  an  infinite  amount  of  amusement  with  his 
"  brogue'*  and  ready  wit.  He  was  full  of  the 
grievous  treatment  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of 
one  or  two  gentlemen,  who  had  employed  him  to 
work  on  a  mine  lately  located  near  Oonalaska.  He 
had  been  brought  to  Oonalaska  from  St.  Michael's, 
and  soon  put  to  work.  After  a  few  days  he  sent 
some  black  looking  sand,  quite  rich  in  gold  ore,  to 
his  employers,  purporting  to  have  been  gotten  from 

the  mine.     Mr.  N ,  an  expert  in  such  matters, 

was  suspicious  immediately,  as  no  such  sand  was 
ever  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Oonalaska.  The 
matter  was  investigated  and  Patrick  could  not  pro- 
duce any  more  just  like  it,  nor  identify  the  spot 
where  he  got  it.  Aside  from  that  Mr.  N  ■  recog- 
nized the  sand  as  that  found  on  the  Yukon,  so  Pat 
was  *'  bounced,"  after  a  little  altercation  with  one  of 
his  employers,  in  telling  of  which  afterward  Patrick 
said,  "An  sure  an  I'd  a  knocked  him  down  meself, 
could  I've  depinded  on  me  legs,"  for  he  pretended 
to  be  afflicted  with  rheumatism,  which  disappeared 
miraculously  whenever  Patrick  lost  himself  in  the 
midst  of  a  yarn  so  marvelous  the  fascinated  sailors 


184 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


I 


.  could  scarce  work  for  listening.  He  poured  his  afflic- 
tions in  the  ears  of  any  who  would  listen  to  him, 
and  as  he  was  a  nuisance  at  Oonalaska  my  husband 
decided  to  take  him  to  Sitka.  He  referred  to  Oona- 
laska as  the  "  inimies'  camp."  It  was  his  custom 
when  he  met  Capt.  S or  one  of  the  officers  any- 
where to  come  to  a  full  stop,  square  his  shoulders 
and  make  a  most  extraordinary  military  salute, 
reminding  one  in  its  mechanical  precision  of  a 
figure  in  Mrs.  Jarley's  waxworks. 

After  landing  him  at  Sitka,  where  he  had  a  number 
of  "  frinds,"  he  told  us,  he  remained  there  an  object 
of  public  charity,  domiciling  himself  at  the  hospital 
till  the  steamer  arrived,  when  he  found  himself  suffi- 
ciently able  to  beg  passage  to  Port  Townsend,  of  his 
"  frind,  the  capting."  He  disappeared,  but  to 
appear  suddenly  face  to  face  with  my  husband  on 
our  arrival  in  Port  Townsend  two  weeks  later,  not 
forgetting  first  to  make  his  salute,  then  turning  and 
accompanying  him  down  the  street — his  appear- 
ance was  anything  but  prepossessing — in  friendly 
conversation,  assailing  him  with  questions  in  which 
he  evinced  an  extraordinary  interest  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  Rush,  and  when  she  was  going  to  San 
Francisco ,  bewailing  the  hard  times  he  was  having, 
and  his  absolute  penury,  etc.,  etc.      To  rid  himself 

of  him    Capt.   S informed    him   sharply,  the 

Rush  did  not  carry  passengers,  whereupon  Patrick 
appeared  scandalized  that  my  husband  should  have 
imagined  he  desired  such  a  thing.     I  met  him  later  ; 


iffp 


MB 


LAST  DAYS  AT  OONALASKA 


IS5 


he  gave  me  a  genial  leer  and  inquired  after  the 
*  capting's  hilth."  The  first  person  to  greet  my 
husband  as  he  jumped  ashore  on  his  arrival  in  San 
Francisco  was  Patrick,  who  rushes  up  and  exclaims, 
pausing  first  for  his  salute,  "  Wilcome  back  to  San 
Francisco."  It  was  becoming  highly  embarrassing 
to  my  husband  to  be  cornered  at  every  possible 
opportunity  in  public  by  this  son  of  Erin,  therefore 
he  gave  him  a  broad  hint  which  no  doubt  Patrick 
will  profit  by  in  the  future. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


KEWS   FROM  THE   NORTH. 


t 


ATURDAY,  THE  THIRTY-FIRST  of  August, 
^  "▼  we  were  all  ready  to  sail,  and  the  hour  had 
been  appointed,  but  the  wind  continued  to  blow  a 
gale,  and,  as  we  would  make  but  little  by  starting, 
our  departure  was  postponed.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday;  the  wind  had  calmed  down  considerably, 
but  the  sea  was  very  high,  therefore  my  husband 
deferred  sailing  till  Monday. 

All  seemed  favorable  when  Monday  dawned  for 
starting  that  day.  Every  last  thing  was  aboard, 
and  steam  was  ordered  for  two  o'clock.  But  about 
ten  o'clock  a  steamer  was  sighted,  and  lo!  it  was  the 
Bear.  We  were  delighted  to  see  her  and  hear  the 
latest  news  from  the  Polar  regions,  while  Captain 

H was  equally  delighted  at  the  opportunity  to 

send  mail  by  us;  the  quickest  way  then  being  to 
send  all  mail  to  Sitka  by  the  Rush,  and  from  there 
forward  it  by  the  steamers  leaving  every  two  weeks, 
perhaps  just  making  connection  with  one. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  news  from  "  up  north." 
The  house  to  be  erected  at  Point  Barrow  had  been 
landed  safely,  and  by  the  end  of  three  weeks  was 
habitable.  The  carpenters  of  several  whalers  had 
lent  assistance,  and  the  Thetis  had  been  there  with 

(186) 


mmmm 


NEWS  FROM  THE  NORTH 


187 


her  steam  launch.  With  this  extra  help  the  house 
and  supplies  had  been  landed  in  a  very  short  time. 

While  at  Point  Barrow  they  had  had  ten  days  of 
beautiful  weather,  on  one  of  which  the  themometer 
rose  to  seventy  degrees.  This  was  very  unusual, 
and  over  ten  degrees  warmer  than  any  day  at  Oona- 
laska  during  the  summer.  But  the  summer,  as  a 
whole,  had  been  very  cold,  and  a  great  deal  of  ice 
had  formed. 

The  Bear  had  almost  been  caught  in  the  ice  twice, 
and  had  been  shut  in  for  several  days  each  time. 

Finding  a  small  outlet  Captain  H had  succeeded 

in  getting  out  just  in  time  to  arrive  at  Oonalaska 
before  the  Rush  sailed,  and  two  months,  to  the  day, 
from  the  time  he  left  Oonalaska  for  Point  Barrow. 

The  Thetis  had  been  at  Point  Barrow  a  week,  dur- 
ing the  Bear's  stay  there,  and  then  had  gone  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  River.  She  was  in  danger 
of  being  closed  in  by  the  ice  when  the  Bear  left  if 
she  did  not  hasten.  We  should  have  been  glad  to 
have  heard  of  her  safety  before  we  left. 

The  greatest  calamity  that  occurred  during  the 
summer  was  the  wrecking  of  a  large  new  steamer 
for  navigating  the  Yukon,  at  St.  Michael's,  about 
twv*  or  three  hours  after  she  started  on  her  first 
trif  Necessity  demanded  a  new  steamer,  for  those 
then  in  use  on  the  Yukon  were  in  a  very  bad  con- 
dition. She  was  also  needed  especially  to  carry 
supplies  to  the  miners,  of  whom  there  were  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  up  the  Yukon;  the  nuns,  or 


188 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


sisters,  who  had  opened  a  school  some  distance  up 
the  river,  and  who  were  in  need  of  supplies  ;  and 
lastly,  the  gentlemen  of  the  Boundary  Commission 
who  had  gone  up,  as  I  have  before  mentioned,  on 
the  Dora  to  St.  MichaePs,  and  thence  up  the  Yukon 
as  far  as  the  boundary  to  determine  its  location. 
These  gentlemen  were  dependent  on  the  supplies  to 
be  sent  by  this  steamer,  named  the  Arctic,  and  failing 
which,  the  expedition  would  in  all  probability  have 
to  be  abandoned  this  year.  It  was  feared  there 
would  be  much  suffering,  owing  to  the  dependence 
placed  upon  this  vessel,  and  its  failure  to  appear, 
communication  by  any  other  means  being  almost 
impossible.  Fortunately,  by  building  rafts,  with  the 
swift  current  of  the  river,  the  miners,  should  they 
start  before  the  ice  formed,  would  be  able  to  reach 
St.  MichaePs  in  a  short  time,  though  the  danger  was 
they  would  wait  too  long,  and  be  unable  to  get  down. 
The  wreck  occurred  in  thi?  way:  The  steamer 
started  from  St.  Michael's  about  seven  in  the  even- 
ing toward  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  and  stopped 
at  a  place  called  Stebbins,  about  fifteen  miles  from 
there,  to  take  on  some  wood.  She  was  laden  with 
supplies  and  all  sorts  of  necessary  articles  that  had 
been  sent  for  for  the  use  of  miners,  commissioners 
and  others.  The  vessel  was  a  stern-wheeler  like 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  river  steamboats.  A 
strong  wind  began  to  blow,  and  she  had  to  let  go 
both  anchors.  At  Stebbins  there  was  no  harbor, 
therefore  she  was  unprotected  from  ihe  wind,  and 


m, 


NEWS  FROM  THE  NORTH 


189 


began  to  drag  her  anchors  and  drift  toward  the 
rocks  on  the  beach.  Her  engines  were  started 
ahead  to  keep  her  up  to  the  wind.  Astern,  fast 
to  her  by  a  coil  of  new  rope,  was  one  of  her  small 
boats.  This  boat  was  in  danger  of  catching  under 
the  wheel.  Someone  attempted  to  throw  the  coil 
of  rope  into  her  and  clear  her  of  the  vessel;  it 
accidentally  caught  in  the  wheel,  which  immediately 
rendered  it  useless,  and  the  machinery  could  not 
work.  She  continued  to  drift,,  till  at  last  she  struck 
the  rocks  and  made  a  large  hole,  through  which  the 
water  rushed  and  immediatelj'^  sank  her. 

The  pumps  were  set  to  work,  and  the  Bear's  small 
boats  succeeded  in  pulling  her  oflP.  This  was  some 
days  after  the  accideixt  had  occurred,  the  Bear  for- 
tunately being  at  St.  Michael's.  Having  cleared  the 
wheel,  the  water  having  been  pumped  out,  and 
the  leak  temporarily  stopped,  they  again  started  her 
engines.  But  a  patch  on  some  part  of  the  boiler 
blew  off,  and  everyone  was  for  a  moment  convinced 
the  whole  vessel  had  blown  up.  But  though  disabled 
for  future  use  till  extensive  repairs  were  made  she 
was  not  blown  to  pieces,  and  the  Bear  towed  her 
back  to  St.  Michael's  where  she  was  built,  and  there 
left  her.  Her  boilers  had  been  taken  up  but  two 
months  before  on  the  St.  Paul  for  I  remembered 
seeing  them  at  Oonalaska.  Her  career  had  been 
short.     At  least  half  her  cargo  was  damaged. 

Capt.  H had  in  the  Arctic    picked  up  the 

"  maimed,  the  halt  and  the  blind,"  and  was  conveying 


190 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


li  1 


them  to  civilization  and  care.  These  were  invalids 
from  different  whale-ships.  Numbers  of  men  unfit 
for  their  duties  ship  aboard  the  whalers.  There  is 
no  medical  examination  enforced,  and  to  many  the 
expobare  and  hardship  endured  are  fatal.  There 
were  paralytics,  epileptics,  and  two  or  three  insane 
men,  all  sailors  ":om  whale-ships  and  unable  to  work. 

The  catches  on  the  whalers  during  the  summer 
had  been  comparatively  good,  one  vessel*  securing 
four  whales,  and  whalebone  rated  at  four  dollars  a 
pound.     This  was  splendid  luck. 

Capt.  H  was  presentta  at  Point  Barrow  with  an 
exquisite  swan's-down  blanket,  the  whitest,  softest, 
most  beautiful  thing  I  ever  saw.  It  was  very  large 
and  reminded  one  of  a  mantle  of  freshly  fallen  snow. 

The  Eskimos  are  a  heartless  people.  I  heard  sev- 
eral officers  of  the  Bear  tell  dreadful  things  of 
the  treatment  of  the  old  and  infirm  among  them. 
When  either  old  or  infirm  they  are  often  allowed  to 
starve  to  death.  The  women  are  put  in  a  hut  or  hole  of 
some  kind  and  walled  up,  the  men  put  on  an  icefloe, 
and  allowed  to  drift  away  to  die  of  cold  and  hunger. 

But  they  think  little  of  dying.     Capt.  H said  he 

inquired  for  a  native  whom  he  had  seen  on  previous 
trips  to  Point  Barrow,  and  one  of  the  Eskimos 
replied,  "  I  shoot  him  ;  he  sick,  want  me  shoot  him.*' 
It  was  a  friendly  office  performed  for  the  sick  man, 
at  his  own  request.  The  most  horrible  thing  I  heard 
was  the  behavior  of  one  of  the  chiefs  towards  his 
wife.  He  built  an  icehouse  and  walled  her  up  in  it, 
because  he  wished  to  rid  himself  of  her 


nm 


mmm 


t 

3 


a 


t 


CilAPTER  XXVI. 


OUR  DEPARTURE    AND   TRIP   EASTWARD. 


HE  AFTERNOON  of  Monday,  the  day  set  for 


sailing,  was  very  "  thick."  The  fog  had 
shut  down  so  the  entrance  or  exit  to  the  harbor  was 
entirely  invisible  till  too  late  in  the  afternoon  to  sail 
that  day. 

There  was  a  dangerous  part  of  the  coast  on  our 
way  eastward,  only  to  be  attempted  by  daylight,  and 
no  good  anchorage  near,  it  was  therefore  advisable 
to  sail  at  such  a  time  as  the  dangerous  coast  could  be 
reached  during  the  day.  Tuesday  afternoon,  then, 
was  the  earliest  opportunity. 

It  was  a  perfect  day,  the  sky  blue  and  clear,  and 
by  that  time  the  sea  had  become  again  pacific  and 
lay  shimmering  in  the  sun,  calm  and  beautiful. 
Everything  was  auspicious  for  a  safe  and  speedy 
voyage.  We  sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  while  from 
every  house  fluttered  the  parting  wave  of  handker- 
chiefs, and  on  the  wharf  a  simultaneous  raising  of 
caps  from  the  assembled  officers  of  the  Bear,  and 
our  kind  friend,  Col.  B ,  and  other  gentlemen  resi- 
dent on  the  island,  while  one  of  the  gentlemen — a 
passenger  with  Capt.  H on  the  Bear — took  part- 
ing shots  at  us  with  his  Kodak,  and  Oonalaska 
slowly  faded  from  our  sight.     I  scarce  expected  ever 

(  191  ) 


y  ^ 


"•mmmiimm 


192 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


u 


fv 


to  see  it  again,  and,  as  I  stood  watching  it,  my  eye 
took  in  every  detail,  as  I  endeavored  to  form  an 
indelible  mental  picture  of  the  lovely  and  unusual 
scene. 

The  sea  was  so  calm,  for  a  now  practised  sailor  as 
I  was  becoming,  seasickness  was  not  to  be  thought 
of.  It  was  ideal — not  **  going  to  sea,*'  but  "  yacht- 
ing." The  two  expressions  convey  different  ideas. 
The  moon  rose  bright  and  bjautiful,  with  a  mellow, 
golden  radiance  hardly  surpassed  in  the  south,  flood- 
ing sky  and  sea  with  her  soft  light,  with  Venus,  her 
beautiful  handmaid,  close  by  at  her  right,  a  path  of 
silver  reaching  from  her  to  our  ship.  Not  a  cloud 
obscured  the  beauty  of  the  night.  I  could  scarce 
make  up  my  mind  to  retire  at  half-past  ten,  the 
moon  seemed  so  like  an  old  friend,  seen  after  a  long 
interval,  to  whom  I  had  much  to  tell,  and  more  to 
ask.  Only  once  in  three  months  had  she  peeped  out 
of  the  clouds  about  her,  and  greeted  me  with  her 
bright  smile. 

At  half-past  four  the  next  morning  my  husband 

aroused  me  suddenly  :    '  B ,"  said  he,  "  do  j^ou 

want  to  see  Shiahaldin,  the  top  of  the  mountain  is 
clear  and  you  can  see  a  wreath  of  smoke  at  the  top  ?" 
Of  course  I  did.  In  a  few  moments  I  was  on  deck. 
Dawn  was  at  hand,  and  with  soft  masses  of  gray 
clouds  draping  his  mighty  shape  I  saw  Shishaldin  in 
all  his  majesty,  rearing  his  grand  proportions  above 
them.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  I  He  was  not  alone. 
Near  by  an  extinct  volcano  rivaled  him  in  loftiness, 


■I 


I 


T" 


■HPMII^^iiVPKiB^n^api 


eye 
1  an 
isual 

or  as 

)Ught 

acht- 

deas. 

ellow, 

flood- 
is,  her 
)ath  of 

cloud 

scarce 
)n,  the 
'  a  long 
nore  to 
ped  out 
ith  her 

Lusband 
do  you 
atain  is 
le  top  ?" 
in  deck, 
of  gray 
laldin  in 
as  above 
)t  alone, 
loftiness, 


'y-'^ 

X     ■ 

it 

% 

X' 

O 


US 
u 


(/) 

y, 
w 

>— < 
t— ( 

c 


192 


craiisf;  of  the  ^'RUsh" 


to  see  it  again,  an<1,  as  I  stood  watcjiing  it,  my  eye 
took  in  every  (letaii,  a?  I  endeavored  to  form  an 
indelible   mental  picture  of  the  lovely  and   unusual 

scene. 

p 

The  sea  v/as  so  calm,  for  a  now  practibod  sailor  as 
I  was  becoming,  .seasitkiifcss  was  not  to  be  thouglit 
of.  It  was  ideal — not  '  ^oinjj;  to  sea,''  but  '*  yacht- 
ing." The  two  expn-  ;  ions  convey  different  ideas. 
The  moon  rose  bright  aiid  boaiiiifui,  with  a  mellow, 
golden  radiance  bar  ii>  surpa-^sed  i.i  the  south,  flood- 
ing sky  and  sea  wi<'-  i    r'sot?  light,  with  Venus,  her 

iOse  ia  at  her  right,  a  path  of 
hj>Y  U'    .ar  bhip.     Not  a  cloud 

r  tb 


beautiful   handma 
silver  reaching  fro 
obscured  the  be«. 
make  up   mV'  m' i 
moon  seemed  so  ii!Lk.  i»-i  oi 
interval,  to  whom   ^.  hnd 
ask.     Only  once  i 
of  the  clouds  abont 
bright  smile. 

At  hal  f -  pas  1  fo  m  r  i  lie  n 
aroused  mo  sachb 
want  to  see  Sbish!*!'  Un,  tb 
clear  and  you  ean  - 
Of  course  I  d:d       f 
Dawn  was  at   ban- 


r* 


roe  1 

iier,  u 


light      T  could  scarce 

•    ualf-past  ten,  the 

seen  after  a  long 

'.  ind  more  to 

,i4  *ibe  peeped  out 

I  '.'    uio   with   her 


Miug  my  husband 
said  he,  ''  do  you 
(Op  of  the  mountain  is 
'■  a  WT*  ;uh  of  smoke  at  the  top  V  ' 
ifew  rnouients  I  was  on  deck. 
,j,nd  n'lth  soft  masses  of  gray 
clouds  draping  his  .>ight^\  .-hapelsaw  Shishaldin  in 
alibis  majesty,  rear  ng  bin  grand  proportions  above 
them.  It  was  a  glorious  !-ight !  He  was  not  alone. 
Near  by  an  extinct  volcano  rivaled  him  in  loftiness, 


'  eye 
I  an 
isual 

or  as 
)agtit 
acht- 
ideas. 
ellow, 
flood- 
LS,  lier 
)ath  of 
,  cloud 
scarce 
jn,  the 
along 
nore  to 
ped  out 
ith  her 

lusband 
do  you 
ntaiu  is 
le  top  V  ' 
)ii  deck, 
of  gray 
laldin  in 
ns  above 
ot  alone. 
loftiness. 


mmmm 


iPPNI 


nmmmmmmmmm 


OUR  DEPARTURE  AND  TRIP  EASTWARD 


103 


9    t 


but  seemed  bent  and  shriveled  with  age,  so  deep  and 
furrowed  were  his  sides,  his  crater  jagged  and  broken. 
Shishaldin  by  him  appeared  trim  and  beautiful  as 
the  young  sapling  by  the  gnarled  and  stunted  oak. 
Shishaldin  is  very  symmetrical  in  shape  ;  for  a  long 
distance  the  land  slowly  rises  from  the  sea  at  the 
same  gentle  rise  on  all  sides,  and  then  suddenly  turns^ 
upward  at  a  sharper  angle,  the  top  as  regular  as  the 
pyramid  of  Cheops.  This  mountain  is  0,000  feet 
high,  rising  direct  from  the  sea  his  entire  height.  It 
is  on  the  island  of  Oonimak.  On  this  island  there 
are  three  volcanoes,  from  two  of  which  curl  soft 
wreaths  of  smoke,  the  only  signs  of  life  within  those 
awful  depths.  The  third  was  the  extinct  one  I  have 
mentioned.  My  boys  were  much  interested  in  the 
"chimneys,"  as  I  called  them,  for  their  benefit, 
explaining  how  they  acted  in  that  capacity. 
^  Shishaldin  was  covered  with  snow,  as  were 
most  of  the  mountains  around  him.  On  the  snow 
about  his  summit  we  could  see  a  deposit  of  soot 
or  cinders,  which  appeared  to  be  recent.  The  crater 
seemed  very  small  in  comparison  with  the  craters  of 
other  volcanoes  I  had  seen,  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain was  so  pointed.  Puffs  of  smoke  would,  one  after 
another,  at  intervals,  lazily  roll  forth  and  float  away 
in  the  soft  air. 

About  half  past  five  the  sun  rose,  and 

"  Mom  in  the  white  wake  of  the  morning  star 
Came  furrowing  all  the  Orient  into  gold." 

With  his  powerful  beams  the  **  King  of  Day  "  soon 

CBinSE  OF  THE  "RUSH."     is 


194 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


dispersed  the  clouds  gathered  about  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  and  they  appeared  in  glittering  grandeur 
warmed  and  gladdened  by  the  young  light.  An 
hour  more  and  the  veil  of  cloud  had  hidden  them 
from  my  sight,  perhaps  forever,  but  it  could  not 
so  hide  them  from  my  memory.  How  I  thank 
memory. 

The  weather  continued  perfect  for  several  days, 
sunshine  all  day  and  moonlight  at  night.  The 
finest  weather  we  had  had.  "  We  were  out  of  the 
Behring  Sea*'  said  the  officers.  The  Behring  Sea 
being  a  synonym  for  all  that  was  disagreeable  in 
their  minds 

We  passed  Cape  PankofF,  the  westernmost  point 
of  the  peninsula  of  Alaska,  and  other  points  almost 
unrecognizable  in  their  beauty  as  compared  with 
their  grim  aspect  when  we  first  saw  them. 

At  Belkovsky  I  did  not  go  ashore.  The  Dora 
happened  to  arrive  just  as  we  did,  from  an  opposite 

direction.     Mr.  N there  first  learned  from  my 

husband  the  disastrous  news  the  Bear  brought 
down  about  the  loss  of  the  Arctic  and  most  of  the 
supplies.  In  consequence  other  plans  and  arrange- 
ments had  to  be  made  for  the  immediate  relief  of 
the  sufferers.  We  were  but  a  short  time  at  Belkov- 
sky, then  off  again  to  Sand  Point,  where  we  came 
across  the  Mary  Ellen,  a  schooner  reporting  to  be 
from  Kamkatcha,  but  owned  in  Victoria,  bound  for 
San  Francisco,  so  the  captain  said,  and  by  whom 
we  sent  mail.     The  Indians  we  picked  up  at  Oona- 


OUR  DEPARTURE  AND  TRIP  EASTWARD 


195 


e 
r 


laska  had  told  us  they  belonged  to  the  Mary  Ellen,  so 
when  we  saw  her  we  expected  to  ship  them  aboard  of 
her,  but  she  was  not  their  vessel,  as  the  captain  said 
he  had  not  lost  any  Indians  and  had  had  none  aboard; 
therefore  we  had  to  keep  them.  Many  are  ignorant 
enough  never  to  learn  the  name  of  their  own  vessel. 
They  seemed  to  be  perfectly  content,  lazily  lying 
about  on  the  deck,  with  plenty  to  eat  and  nothing  to 
do.  One  talked  very  good  English  and  called  him- 
self "  Joe.-'  He  grinned  with  pleasure  when  I  aired 
the  little  "  Chinook  "  I  had  picked  up  at  Sitka  the 
year  before. 

The  scenery  was  exquisite  as  we  steamed  quietly 
along  on  a  sea  as  still  as  the  famous  "  inside  passage" 
tourists  go  wild  over,  on  the  coast  of  Alaska. 

The  mainland,  or  peninsula,  of  Alaska  was  on 
one  hand,  and  innumerable  islands  on  the  other, 
among  which  we  threaded  our  way.  The  difference 
between  the  part  of  Alaska  I  am  now  describing  and 
the  inside  passage  being  the  treeless  condition  of 
the  islands  in  the  former  and  the  more  extensive 
Views,  because  of  the  greater  expanse  of  water 
between  them. 

Pavloff,  a  volcano,  next  loomed  up,  an  enormous 
snow-covered  mass.  To  its  right  a  sharp,  slender 
peak,  exquisitely  symmetrical  in  outline  and  covered 
with  an  unbroken  mantle  of  snow,  but  unnamed 
on  the  charts,  as  were  many  we  saw.  A  peculiar 
feature  about  Pavloff  is  the  crater,  which  is  very  low 
down  on  one  side  instead  of  at  the  top.     We  did  not 


rr 


196 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


see  it  smoking,  but  the  deposit  of  cinders  around  it 
seemed  to  indicate  recent  activity.  We  saw  Pavloff 
two  days  from  two  different  directions.  On  the 
mainland  a  lofty  range  of  snow-covered  mountains 
stretched  away  in  the  distance. 

We  stopped  at  Coal  Harbor  to  get  some  coal,  as 
my  husband  had  been  ordered  to  do  by  the  Depart- 
ment. There  we  saw  the  first  trees  that  deserved  the 
name,  except  "  The  Forest "  at  Oonalaska,  since  we 
had  left  home  ;  for  when  at  Coal  Harbor  before,  it 
was  very  bad  weather  and  I  was  unable  to  go  ashore 
or  to  see  through  the  fog  and  rain.  We  spent  a  few 
hours  getting  the  coal  aboard,  about  five  tons. 

Meanwhile  one  of  the  officers  and  myself  wandered 
about  in  search  of  petrified  wood,  which  was  said  to 
be  plentiful  on  thv)  beach.  We  found  several  very 
good  specimens,  the  smaller  of  which  we  took  aboard 
the  ship.  We  aijO  visited  the  coal  vein.  It  was 
simply  a  bank  from  which  the  coal  was  loosened 
with  a  pick  and  wheeled  down  to  the  water's  edge. 
It  was  very  light  in  weight >  and  the  engineers  said 
but  one  remove  from  lignite,  the  lowest  form  of  coal, 
and  worth  very  little.  On  starting  again  the  fires 
were  made  with  it,  and  the  heat  generated  was  so 
little  we  made  very  slow  progress,  while  the  fire- 
men were  kept  busy  shoveling  in  fresh  coal  and 
taking  out  ashes.  Its  only  good  quality  being  it 
did  not  make  any  smoke,  but  it  certainly  was  not 
good  coal  with  which  to  make  steam. 

Pirate's  Cove,  on  Popof  Island,  was  the  next  point 


J 


^ 


^fmmi^m 


mtm 


OUR  DEPARTURE  AND  TRIP  EASTWARD 


l'J7 


y 


at  which  we  stopped,  a  short  distance  from  Coal 
Harbor,  and  the  last  before  reaching  Kadiak.  As 
the  day  was  superb  I  went  ashore  with  my  husband 
to  explore  the  coast  line,  which  there  presented 
remarkable  formations.  How  grand  and  beautiful 
the  world  seemed,  flooded  as  the  scene  was  with  the 
golden  sunlight. 

Several  fishermen  live  there  alone,  there  were  no 
women  at  all.  Two  great  dogs  bounded  down  the 
small  wharf,  barking  madly,  not  knowing  what  to 
make  of  me.  Doubtful  of  the  reception  I  would 
have,  my  heart  failed  me  on  beginning  to  climb  the 
perpendicular  ladder  leading  from  the  boat  to  the 
top  of  the  wharf,  with  those  monsters  barking 
above,  but  they  proved  entirely  harmless.  The  fisher- 
men seemed  hardly  to  credit  their  senses  when  they 
saw  me. 

As  it  was  not  to  see  the  fishermen  nor  their  houses 
I  went  ashore  I  soon  left  them  to  talk  to  Captain 

S ,  and  betook  myself  to  the  "  Elephant,"  a  few 

rods  away.  This  was  a  formation  of  the  rock  so 
remarkably  like  an  elephant  it  required  no  stretch 
of  the  imagination  to  perceive  it  at  a  glance.  I 
found  a  well-beaten  trail  leading  to  it,  showing  that 
even  these  rough  men  appreciated  a  littio  scenery  in 
the  intervals  of  rest  from  their  hard  labor.  At  a 
short  distance  the  head  and  trunk  of  the  elephant 
were  especially  lifelike.  The  trunk  was  separated  from 
the  rest  of  the  body  by  a  natural  arch.  Through  this 
hole  or  arch  one  had  an  exquisite  picture,  already 


BW'^>S'»*'**<'^»>*w*«-tl»-*"' 


198 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH' 


framed,  of  sea,  islands  and  blue  sky.  Around  the 
base  of  the  rock  great  boulders  of  conglomerate  had 
fallen,  of  which  the  whole  mass  appeared  to  be 
composed.  Other  boulders  seemed  hanging  by  a 
thread,  ready  to  fai^  at  tne  first  liai*d  storm.  The 
"Elephant"  looked  as  if  wading  in  the  water  up  to 
his  knees;  a  huge  monster,  such  as  no  extinct  species 
of  mastodon  could  ever  have  hoped  to  rival  in  size. 
A  trail  led  directly  over  another  natural  arch,  con- 
necting with  and  just  making  him  a  part  of  the 
mainland,  and  not  an  island,  on,  over  his  back  to 
the  top  of  the  head.  There  I  stood  and  looked 
around  about  me,  drinking  in  with  my  eyes  the 
beauty  of  the  scene. 

Laving  his  feet  was  the  clear,  pale-green  sea- 
water,  through  which  I  could  see  the  white  bottom, 
with  here  and  there  patches  of  moss  and  sea-weed. 
At  a  short  distance  away  was  the  Rush,  a  little  piece 
of  home  in  that  lone  landscape  ;  on  either  hand 
green  islands  dotted  the  sea  ;  beyond,  bounding  the 
horizon  was  the  lofty,  snowy  range  of  mountains 
on  the  mainland  ;  Pavloff  still  grand  and  white  in 
the  distance  ;  behind  me  green  hills  with  precipi- 
tous, uneven  sides,  and  the  diminutive  village, 
nestled  in  the  little  sheltered  spot,  behind  the  great 
arm  of  rock,  which  hid  it  from  view.  It  was  beyond 
description  beautiful;  none  but  the  pen  of  a  Ruskiu 
could  do  it  justice. 


isvfF^saiS!^ 


mmmm 


e 
,d 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


bo 


KADIAK. 

^FTER  A  RUN  OF  TWO  DAYS  of  the  most 
1         perfect  weather  imaginable  we   arrived   at 
Kadiak,  or  rather  St.  Paul,  on  Kadiak  Island.     It 
commonly  receives  the  former  name. 

The  approach  to  Kadiak  is  most  beautiful.  We 
first  sighted  the  Trinity  Islands,  contiguous  to  the 
main  island  of  Kadiak.  The  latter  is  very  irregular, 
and  deeply  indented  with  bays.  The  greatest 
length  is  about  eighty-five  miles  ;  the  greatest  width 
fifty  miles.  Around  its  coast  are  numbers  of  pretty 
islands.  Including  the  whole  group  clustered 
together  they  stretch  over  a  distance  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  are  about  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  mainland  or  peninsula  of  Alaska. 

There  is  no  very  high  land  on  the  island  of 
Kadiak.  The  highest  hills  had  only  a  slight  sprinkle 
of  snow  on  them.  We  could  see  over  them,  and 
beyond  to  the  mainland,  where  distinctly  on  the 
horizon  we  saw  a  magnificent  white  mountain  called 
on  the  chart  '•'  Four  Peak  Mountain,"  wh?ch  by 
actual  measurement  was  eighty-five  miles  away. 
The  next  day  we  saw  the  same  mountain  one  hun- 
dred and  five  miles  away,  showing  it  to  be  extremely 
high.     No  height  was  given  on  the  charts. 

(199) 


rv 


1 


! 

,1 


200 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


We  came  opposite  to  the  westernmost  end  of  the 
island  of  Kadiak  about  midnight,  and  sailed  along 
the  coast  from  that  time  till  about  3:30  p.  m.  the 
next  day.  This  was  Sunday,  September  9th,  when 
we  dropped  our  anchor  in  St.  Paul  harbor.  St. 
Paul  is  on  the  ep.stern  end  of  the  isla/  d  Wq 
noticed  that  as  we  neared  Kadiak  the  islands 
became  more  densely  wooded  with  evergreen 
trees,  not  so  tall  or  so  large  as  at  Sitka,  but  there 
were  some,  we  were  told,  much  larger  in  the  interior. 
In  fact  the  western  end  seemed  as  bare  of  trees  as 
Ihe  Aleutian  Islands.  We  were  most  fortunate  in 
having  such  clear  weather,  the  sunlight  bringing 
out  as  it  did  in  bold  relief  every  beauty  of  the  con- 
figuration hi  the  land,  as  well  as  adding  to  the 
exquisite  coloring  of  both  land  and  sea. 

We  were  unable  to  see  St.  Paul  till  right  upc  i 
it,  for  it  is  hidden  by  two  islands,  cne  of  whicli 
apparently  shuts  it  in  completely,  till  on  sailing 
through  the  narrow  passage  dividing  the  smaller 
island  from  the  large  one  suddenly  the  channel 
widens  out  into  a  little  harbor,  so  calm  and 
quiet  that  day,  it  seemed  like  a  lake.  The  larpror 
island  is  called  "  Woody  Island,"  a  1  used  to 
be  of  some  importance,  for  from  there  sever*:, 
years  ago  was  shipped  a  great  d^nl  of  ice  to  San 
Francisco.  As  we  approache^I  St.  I'ei  "il  we  saw  first 
the  now  deserted  icehouses  and  a  few  small 
huts  where  live  a  number  of  natives,  these  we 
who    had    not    been  there    before    took  to  be  the 


■  i1" 


KADIAK 


201 


town  itself.  There  was  a  general  disappointed 
exclamation  of  "  Pshaw !  is  chat  St.  Paul ! "  till 
our  supposition  was  corrected  by  our  Chief  Engi- 
neer- who  had  been  to  Kadiak  various  times,  the 
first  time  twenty  years  before,  and  who  had  seen 
it  during  different  phases  of  its  existence. 

Mr.  D had  seen  the  icehouses  when  they  were 

filled  with  that  frozen  article  of  commerce — ice — a,nd 
when  St.  Paul  was  at  the  height  of  its  prosperity. 

On  one  of  his  visits,  in  '69  he  told  us,  an  artillery 
company  was  stationed  there,  after  the  transfer  of 
Alaska  from  Russia  to  the  United  States,  which  com- 
pany had  an  old  sheep,  a  pet,  brought  to  St.  Paul 
from  Virginia,  that  had  been  with  them  since  the 
Avar,  and  remained  in  Kadiak  the  two  years  they 
were  stationed  there,  and  was  taken  away  by  the 
company  when  they  left.  What  its  subsequent  his- 
tory was  he  never  learned. 

Mr.  D was  an  encyclopedia  on  all  parts  of 

Alaska,  and  a  perfect  treasure  house  of  information, 
good-naturedly  available  at  any  time.  To  him  I  am 
indebted  for  a  number  of  anecdotes  and  details  of 
historv  here  related. 

On  Woody  Island  he  also  told  us,  that  when  he 
was  last  there,  in  '82,  they  raised  quite  a  variety  of 
vegetables.  We  found  that  at  Kadiak  they  raised 
potatoes,  celery,  radishes,  cauliflower,  lettuce  and 
turnips.  The  potatoes  were  peculiar  to  the  country* 
of  a  sweetish  flavor  and  rather  moist.  I  did  not 
like  them.     They  were  a  very  good  size,  a  little 


t  f 


202 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


larger  than  an  egg.  The  celery  was  delicious.  The 
cauliflower  and  turnips  excellent.  The  temperature 
at  Kadiak  is  very  mild — surprisingly  so,  when  one 
thini  i  **  the  latitude  of  the  island.  In  the  same 
latitude  >  the  eastern  coast  of  North  America  one 
would  find  everlasting  snow  and  ice.  1  he  thermome- 
ter is  rarely  ever  at  zero,  and  a  gentleman  who  had 
spent  seven  winters  on  the  island,  said  he  had  never 
seen  it  below  but  once  or  twice,  and  then  only 
two  or  three  degrees.  There  is  a  better  climate 
there  than  at  Sitka  and  less  rain  falls.  It  is  in  fact 
called  *'  The  garden  spot  of  Alaska.*'  There  is  cer- 
tainly much  more  available  ground  for  cultivation 
about  St.  Paul,  the  hills  being  neither  so  high,  so 
precipitous,  nor  so  densely  wooded  as  at  Sitka,  that 
is,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  town. 

We  dropped  anchor  a  mile  or  so  from  the  landing, 
where  there  is  a  small  wharf,  at  which  the  company 
steamers  from  San  Francisco  load  and  unload.  Our 
largest  boat  was  lowered,  for  here  all  the  officers 
wanted  to  go  ashore,  it  being  a  new  place,  un visited 

before  by  them,  except  Mr.  D and  my  husband. 

Those  "  on  watch"  chewed  their  mustaches  in  silent 
disgust. 

We  were  met  on  the  wharf  by  a  small  army  of 
little  boys.  I  don't  think  I  saw  a  little  girl  while 
there.  There  either  were  none,  or  they  were  kept 
very  closely  at  home.  These  little  urchins  were  all 
mouths  and  eyes  as  we  neared  the  wharf.  I  was  struck 
with  their  generally  neat  and  cleanly  appearance,  as 


EADIAK 


203 


e 

pe 
le 
le 
le 

Id 


compared  with  the  ragged  little  Aleute  boys  running 
around  Oonalaska.  One  of  the  latter  I  remember 
particularly,  whose  costume  consisted  of  a  common 
merino  shirt,  very  open  about  the  neck,  and  a  man's 
pair  of  pants,  a  mile  too  large,  hitched  up  about  his 
waist  with  a  string.  No  shoes,  hat  or  cap.  In  this 
array  he  rambled  about  with  perfect  unconcern,  and 
really  never  appeared  cold.  Among  the  boys  on  the 
wharf  there  were  two  or  three  aged  looking  white 
men,  with  long,  white  beards,  quite  patriarchal  in 
appearance. 

A  Mr.   Sargent   met   us,  and  was  introduced  by 

Mr.  D as  an  old  acquaintance  of  twenty  years 

standing,  whom  he  had  met  at  Kadiak  that  many 
years  ago.  I  was  interested  in  his  history.  He 
had  lived  at  Kadiak  twonty-three  years,  and  never 
till  the  year  previous  ('88)  been  away  from  there 
or  back  to  his  home  in  the  East.  He  found  his 
father,  a  man  of  ninety,  still  living.  He  also  found 
grown  nieces  and  nephews  he  had  never  seen.  His 
visit  to  the  States  must  have  been  a  revelation  to 
lim  in  more  ways  than  one,  twenty-three  years 
making  a  great  difference  in  this  age  of  change. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W ,  whom  my  husband  had  met 

two  years  before  at  Kadiak,  had  spent  three  sum- 
mers at  St.  Paul.    Mr.  W was  general  agent  for 

the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  at  that  place. 
We  found  he  had  left  on  a  short  trip  that  very 
morning,  to  go  in  search  of  a  small  schooner  for 
whose  safety   some   apprehension  was  felt.      Mrs. 


204 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


W was  at  home,  and  received  us  with  a  bright 

smile  of  welcome,  in  her  pleasant  rooms  at  what  was 
there,  also,  the  "  bull  showy  dome,"  or  "  big  house," 
of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company. 

We  spent  a  pleasant  half  hour  in  chatting,  and 
then  wandered  off  to  see  the  sights  of  the  place. 


■•^WPB 


mipN 


■■I 


Is 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 


MORE   ABOUT  KADIAK. 

'T^ADIAK  IS  MUCH  MORE  of  a  place  than 
*•]"  any  we  had  visited,  rivaling  even  Sitka  in 
size,  if  minus  the  barracks  and  Government  officers' 
houses.  The  houses  at  Kadiak,  large  and  small 
were  scattered  over  considerable  space.  There  was 
a  main  avenue,  not  lined  with  houses,  leading  over 
a  hill  into  the  woods  some  distance,  where  Mrs. 

W told  me  she  took  her  horseback  rides,  and 

that  is  more  than  one  can  do  in  Sitka,  as  I  found 
after  having  given  myself  the  trouble  to  take  a 
riding-habit ;  and,  where  I  was  offered,  if  I  wished 
very  much  to  ride,  a  superannuated  old  Government 
mule  that  lived  on  ^lams  about  the  beach,  too  old 
and  disabled  to  work.  Suffice  it  to  say  I  did  not 
unpack  my  habit.  There  were  three  good  horses 
at  Kadiak  and  a  number  of  cowp.  We  were  told 
these  animals  could  stay  out  of  doors  almost  all 
winter  and  found  enough  to  subsist  on.  Last  win- 
ter they  were  out  the  whole  time,  with  the  exception 
of  two  weeks. 

There  are  a  number  of  Russian  or  Creole  families, 
with  the  natives,  perhaps,  numbering  two  hundred 
in  all.     Among  them  are  a  few  Indians  from  the 

(205) 


206 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


mainland,  about  whom  Mr.  D was  told  a  story 

which  runs  in  this  way: 

"Near  Wrangel,  on  the  mainland,  lived  a  tribe  of 
Indians  who  were  very  savage.  They  had  a  number  of 
other  Indians,  captured  in  war,  in  their  power,  whom 
they  subjected  to  slavery.  The  chief's  wife,  on  the 
death  of  her  husband,  according  to  custom,  prepared 
to  put  them  to  death,  and  placing  them  in  a  row 
began  cutting  their  throats,  each  in  turn  ;  but  some 
white  men,  a  captain  of  a  trading  vessel  and  his 
crew,  who  happened  to  be  witnesses  to  the  inhuman 
deed,  succeeded  in  rescuing  them  from  the  clutches 
of  this  fcxnale  fiend  and  brought  them  over  to 
Kadiak,  where  they  have  lived  ever  since."  How 
true  this  may  be  I  cannot  say. 

The  inevitable  Greek  church  we  did  not  enter. 
From  the  outside  it  looked  rather  dilapidated  and 
sadly  needed  a  coat  of  paint.  We  heard  the  chimes, 
which  are  common  to  every  little  Greek  church, 
ringing  out  sweetlj'^  on  the  quiet  evening  air. 

Mr.  W ,  assistant  agent,  urged   us  to  stay  to 

supper,  which  invitation  we  gratefully  accepted,  as 
it  was  such  a  long  pull  out  to  the  vessel  and  back- 
Before  supper  Mr.  W showed  us  through  the 

**  fur  house,"  in  itself  a  very  interesting  building. 
It  was  a  large,  solid-looking  house  built  by  the  Rus- 
sians. We  were  told  they  were  seven  years  laying 
the  foundation,  and  twenty-six  years  completing 
the  whole  edifice.  This  was  obviously  because  of 
intermittent  labor,  neither  its  size  nor  style  warrant- 


MORE  ABOUT  KADIAK 


207 


ing  SO  many  years  of  work.  But  more  than  half  of 
every  week  is  taken  up  by  feast  days  among  the 
Russians,  so  we  may  safely  call  it  perhaps  twelve 
years.  It  was  built  of  immense  logs,  cut  from 
trees  found  on  the  island.  The  diameter  of  most  of 
them,  on  an  average,  was  about  a  foot  and  a  half. 
These  were  closely  and  strongly  fitted  together  into 
a  building  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high  by  one  hundred 
and  twenty  long  and  fifty  broad.  It  was  divided 
into  three  stories.  The  two  lower  were  used  to  keep 
supplies  of  various  kinds  for  the  station,  the  upper 
for  furs.  The  greater  part  of  the  furs  had  then 
been  sent  away,  but  we  saw  a  large  number  of 
magnificent  sea-otter,  many  more  than  I  saw  at 
Oonalaska.  There  were  other  furs  also,  such  as 
mink,  marten,  and  foxes  of  different  kinds,  some 
wolverine,  and  the  skins  of  several  very  large 
white  swans.  The  sea-otter  were  by  far  the  most 
valuable  and  interesting. 

Later  Mr.  W- showed  us  his  curios,  of  which 

he  had  made  a  large  collection  ;  most  of  them  were 
obtained  on  the  mainland.  There  were  several  whole 
suits  of  dressed  elk  skin,  very  elaborately  trimmed 
with  beads.  These  consisted  of  the  parka  and 
trabasars,  both  women's  and  men's,  and  were  cut 
after  a  very  similar  pattern,  except  the  smaller  size 
of  the  women's.  The  fringes  of  colored  beads  were 
made  in  very  tasty  patterns,  and  must  have  required 
much  tedious  labor  to  make.  There  were  other 
elaborate  articles,  such  as  pouches  and   cases   for 


208 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH 


knives,  moccasins  and  other  things  of  that  kind, 
heavily  ornamented  with  beads.  We  were  also 
shown  spears,  bows  and  arrows,  and,  most  interest- 
ing of  all,  a  calendar,  consisting  of  two  convex 
pieces  of  wood  hollowed  out  and  fitted  together  like 
a  box  and  cover.  On  the  inside  of  one  piece  were 
bored  small  holes  for  the  weeks,  on  the  other  for  the 
days,  in  systematic  order  ;  these  were  checked  off 
with  a  little  peg  similar  to  a  cribbage  board.  It 
was  very  ingenious.  There  were  many  other  odd 
and  valuable  things,  too  numerous  to  mention.   Mr. 

W kindly  presented  me  with  an  elaborate  skin 

bag  from  the  mainland,  ornamented  with  feathers 
and  worsted  in  a  very  lavish  way,  as  a  souvenir  of 
my  visit. 

I  was  very  much  interested  with  an  account  of 
Lord  Lonsdale's  visit  to  Kadiak.  Being  such  a 
public  character  it  will  be  no  harm  to  mention  his 
name.  He  sent  two  tons  of  curios  home  by  way  of 
Winnipeg,  though  his  servant  was  employed  when 
he  was  preparing  to  leave  Kadiak  several  hours  in 
the  transfer  of  the  additional  curios  procured  after 
that,  and  taken  to  Kadiak,  and  from  there  down  to 
San  Francisco.  I  myself  saw  at  Oonalaska  various 
articles,  such  as  a  one-hatch  bydarka.  a  pair  of  snow- 
shoes,  and  other  things  labeled  '  Lord  Lonsdale  ;" 
also  to  be  sent  to  him.  When  at  Kadiak  Lord  Lons- 
dale employed  his  time  in  writing  a  novel,  and,  he 
told  them,  he  had  written  one  or  two  others  before. 
Whether  the  plot  was  laid  in  Alaska  or  on  the  banks  of 


"■■VW"<«^HpPHI|PPI 


mmrm"'^''''"^ 


MORE  ABOUT  KADIA^ 


200 


the  Mackenzie  remains  to  be  seen.  Though  no  traces 
of  his  visit  remain,  and  the  Indians  about  Mackenize 
RivQr  declare  they  never  saw  or  heard  of  him  he 
claims  to  have  explored  all  that  region.  He  made 
very  large  promises  of  gifts,  had  the  half  of  which 
been  sent  it  would  have  taken  an  extra  steamer  to 
convey  to  Kadiak.  Among  them  were  prizes  to  be 
awarded  to  the  best  scholars  in  the  little  school,  on  the 
non-arrival  of  which  the  children  were  very  much 
grieved.  Altogether  his  manners  and  promises  were 
magnificent,  as  befitted  a  lord.  A  little  joke  at  his 
expense,  circulated  in  San  Francisco,  was  as  follows  : 
In  visiting  a  furrier's  Lord  Lonsdale,  in  his  high- 
handed way,  professed  a  superior  knowledge  of  bears 
and  undertook  to  determine  their  ages  by  an  eiami- 
nation  of  their  mouths  or  teeth.  When  arriving  at 
a  satisfactory  conclusion  as  to  the  respective  ages  of 
those  he  saw  in  the  store,  he  announced  them  to 
the  amused  furrier,  who  afterwards  remarked  that 
as  they  were  all  papier  ma-'  e  he  thought  Lord 
Lonsdale  "  a  most  excellent  judge." 

We  were  pleasantly  entertained  by  accounts 
of  interesting  people  and  events  till  eight  or  nine 
o'clock,  when  we  said  good-bye  and  started  back  to 
the  ship. 

The  moon  had  arisen  and  was  then  full  ;  the  scene 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  I  ever  saw.  There 
was  scarce  a  ripple  on  the  water  and  the  moon  was 
reflected  as  in  a  mirror  on  its  calm  surface.  I  wished 
the  Rush  were  three  times  the  distance  she  was  away, 

Cruise  op  thk  "Rush."   14 


210 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "  RUSH  " 


»,' 


I  I 


that  our  row  might  be  prolonged,  selfishly  never 
giving  a  thought  to  our  poor  men  who  were  doing 

the  pulling.     Before  leaving,  Mrs.  W picked  me 

an  exquisite  bunch  of  the  finest  pansies  I  almost 
ever  saw,  which  were  growing  in  her  "  garden,"  as 
she  called  it,  a  small  bed  at  one  side  of  the  house. 
These  had  been  planted  the  year  before,  and  had 
remained  in  the  ground  all  the  year  ur injured. 
There  were  candytuft,  nasturtions  and  nglish 
daisies  growing  there  besides,  all  blooming  profusely. 

Mrs.  W told  me  the  wild-flowers  were  exquisite, 

but  it  was  too  late  when  I  was  there  to  see  them. 
She  showed  me  some  she  had  pressed  very  prettily, 
and  I  recognized  several  varieties  quite  common  at 
Oonalaska.  But  at  Kadiak  the  most  common  and 
most  beautiful  wild-flower  is  the  real  blue  forget-me- 
not,  which  covers  the  hills  with  such  masses  of  its 
tiny  blossoms  that  they  are  literally  blue  with  them 
while  they  last.  They  do  not  grow  on  the  Aleutian 
Islands  at  all.  The  only  other  place  I  remember 
their  growing  in  such  quantities  is  in  Siberia,  where 
G.  W.  Kennan  says  whole  fields  are  covered  with 
them,  stretching  out  like  a  blue  sea,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach. 

Mrs.  W was  very  much  amused  at  one  of  the 

ofl&cers  remarking  "  the  apple-trees  reminded  him 
of  home."  She  looked  rather  puzzled  at  first — I  hap- 
pened to  be  present — and  then  said,  "  Those  are  not 
apple  but  Cottonwood  trees."  It  was  rather  a  good 
joke  on  the  officer,  having  been  so  long  in  Alaska — 


MORE  ABOUT  KADIAK 


211 


throe  months,  he  had  forgotten  what  an  apple-tree 
looked  like.  We  could  not  refrain  from  teasing  him. 
There  were  several  of  the  cottonwood  trees  growing 
here  and  there  around  the  houses,  and  I  admit  I  took 
them  for  apple  myself,  though  no  such  fruit  was 
visible  on  them. 

I  was  told  at  Kadiak  the  natives  on  the  island 
were  called  Aleutes  and  spoke  that  language.  They 
certainly  resembled  them  much,  though  they 
appeared  of  a  better  class,  generally .  than  those  at 
Oonalaska. 

Strange  to  say,  there  is  no  physician  at  Kadiak. 
We  had  to  leave  so  early  the  next  day  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  good  weather  on  our  way  to  Sitka,  that 
our  doctor  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  amputate 
a  leg  for  some  poor  creature  who  had  been  injured. 
I  noticed  several  who  had  been  disabled  in  one  way 
or  another,  but  the  people  generally  looked  healthy 
and  strong. 

Bears  are  found  on  Kadiak  Island,  and  a  number 
of  foxes  of  different  kinds,  but  all  the  best  furs  are 
obtained  on  the  mainland.  I  must  not  forget  the 
little  black  bear,  a  pet  at  Kadiak,  with  its  beautiful 
coat  of  long,  silky  black  hair.  The  boys  enjoyed 
playing  with  him,  and  teased  and  excited  him  so  he 
would  growl  and  run  at  them  as  if  in  rage,  but  they 
said  he  would  not  bite. 

Kadiak,  or  rather  St.  Paul,  was  formerly  impor- 
tant as  being  the  headquarters  for  the  Governor  of 
Russian  Alaska.      Later,  Baranoff   pushed   farther 


21. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


east  and  established  himself  at  Sitka,  which  has  ever 
since  remained  the  seat  of  government. 

We  remained  all  night  anchored  quietly  in  the 
harbor,  every  one  taking  a  good  night's  rest,  and 
started  at  dayhght  en  route  for  Sitka,  five  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  away. 

We  had  a  remarkably  smooth  passage  from  Oona- 
laska  to  Sitka.  So  many  days  of  fine  weather,  with 
so  smooth  a  sea,  were  almost  unparalleled  in  the 
experience  of  the  oldest  sailors  in  that  part  of  the 
world.  The  ship  was  so  still  one  could  write  with 
perfect  ease.  One  day  was  like  another,  still  and 
bright,  the  whole  distance. 

The  thermometer  rose  to  eighty  degrees  one  morn- 
ing. That  was  the  10th  of  September.  In  the 
middle  of  the  day  I  t-  as  perfectly  comfortable  with- 
out a  wrap  of  any  kind.  It  was  hard  to  believe  »»e 
were  not  off  the  coast  of  Southern  California,  rather 
than  in  latitude  fifty-seven  degrees  fifteen  minutes 
off  the  coast  of  Alaska. 

The  days  were  so  clear  that,  when  one  hundred  and 
fifty-six  miles  away,  we  saw  Mounts  Fairweather, 
Crillion  and  La  Perouse,  near  Glacier  Bay.  Mount 
St.  Elias  was  a  little  too  distant  to  be  seen  well,  but 
all  who  looked  agreed  they  saw  the  outline  of  that 
most  magnificent  of  all  mountains  in  North  America. 
It  was  then,  by  actual  measurement  on  the  chart,  one 
hundred  and  ninety  miles  away  from  us. 


iHfil 


Si 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


SITKA. 

JTKA  LOOKED  its  prettiest  when  we  steamed 
in  sight  of  it,  and  really  qnite  imposing  in 
size.  I  was  surprised  at  how  much  more  important 
and  larger  it  looked  than  when  I  first  saw  it  last  year. 
Our  arrival  was  full  of  interest  and  pleasant  sur- 
prises to  us,  and  perhaps,  I  say  it  modestly,  we  were 
of  interest  to  the  inhabitants,  who  certainly  received 
us  with  great  cordiality. 

We  first  sighted  Mount  Edgecumb,  associated  in 
my  mind  as  a  prominent  feature  in  the  loveliest 
sunsets  I  ever  saw,  for  I  remember  when  the  sun 
went  down  it  was  always  behind  Mount  Edgecumb, 
setting  forth  his  rounded  contour  with  a  back- 
ground of  exquisitely  brilliant  tints  of  red  and  gold, 
while  from  his  lav  -covered  sides  they  were  reflected 
in  hues  of  dee^-est  crimson  and  purple.  Mount 
Edgecumb  is  a  sort  of  barometer  to  the  Thlinkets  of 
Sitka.  They  study  his  appearance  at  different  times 
and  so  determine  what  the  weather  is  to  be. 

Soon  after  passing  Edgecumb,  which  is  some  four- 
teen miles  from  Sitka,  the  little  fairy  islands  in  the 
harbor  kept  emerging  one  by  one,  green  with  trees 
and  grass,  and  soon  we  saw  *'  The  Castle"  peeping  at 
us,  and  then  the  green  dome  and  spire  of  the  Greek 

( 213 ) 


mm 


mmrnn 


214 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


church,  with  their  g^lt  crosses  shining  in  the  sun. 
And  suddenly  one  of  our  lieutenants  shouted  : 
"There's  a  steamer,  sir,"  to  my  husband,  at  which 
there  was  a  general  excitement,  for  the  last  thing  we 
expected  to  see  was  a  steamer,  the  last  one  having 
been  due  on  the  5th  and  the  next  on  the  20th  of 
September.  It  was  then  only  the  12th  of  September. 
Something  unusual  was  the  cause  we  surmised  at 
once. 

We  swung  around  the  island  directly  in  front  of 
Sitka,  and  shutting  it  out  almost  completely  from 
view,  till  quite  near,  when  the  wharf  came  in  sight, 
gay  with  a  crowd  of  people,  the  passengers  from  the 
steamer  and  inhabitants  of  the  place.  li  was  very 
exciting  to  behold  such  a  multitude  after  peeing  for 
so  long  only  the  few  handfuls  so  sparsely  scattered 
over  the  Aleutian  Islands. 

Soon  a  boat  came  ofif  to  us  and  we  heard  all  the 
news.  The  Ancon  had  sunk  and  was  a  total  loss — no 
lives  lost.  All  baggage  and  mail  saved,  for  which  we 
were  devoutly  thankful.  The  accident  occurred  on 
her  trip  down  at  Ivoring,  where  she  drifted  on  the 
rocks.  The  George  W.  Elder,  the  steamer  at  Sitka 
when  we  arrived,  had  taken  her  passengers  aboard 
and  ca}  ried  them  back  to  Port  Townsend,  in  that 
way  causing  the  delay  in  her  arrival  at  Sitka. 

However,   not   one  of  the  captured    sealers   had 
come  to  Sitka.     V/e  had  expected  at  least  one — the 
Minnie — her   captain   had   seemed    so   honest.      It  • 
appeared  to  be  a  preconcerted  arrangement  among 


. 


SITKA 


215 


the  111;  that  if  captured  and  sent  to  Sitka  under  the 
same  circumstances  as  two  years  before  they  would 
return  to  Victoria.  Two  years  previous  the  Rush  had 
found  a  goodly  array  of  fifteen  prizes,  both  Americai. 
and  English,  awaiting  her  in  port,  on  her  arrival  at 
Sitka.     Experience  had  made  them  wiser. 

We  had  noticed  a  sailor  in  the  uniform  of  the 
service  on  the  wharf  while  passing.  This  was 
Hakinson  who  next  appeared,  and  who  was  the 
"  hero  ''  of  the  Black  Diamond  affair.  From  Victoria 
he  had  taken  passage  on  the  Ancon,  the  ill-fated 
vessel,  and  finally  arrived  safe  and  sound  at  Sitka. 

The  Elder,  by  the  way,  and  her  captain  were  old 
friends  of  min  It  was  on  the  Elder  I  had  made 
my  passage  botli    o  ^itka  and  back  tho  year  before, 

and  Captain  H \\i\.f\  Seen  extremely  kind  to  me 

both  times,  therefore,  1  was  delighted  to  see  him, 
and  shake  hands  and  congratulate  him  on  the  fact 
it  was  not  the  Elder  that  was  sunk,  to  which  he 
replied,  "  It  may  be  our  turn  nt  xt  !" 

The  mail  for  us  came  aboard  soon  after,Lieut  T. , 

in  command  of  the  Marine  Guard  ,  kindly  sending 
it  off  as  soon  as  possible  after  uur  arrival.  There 
was  the  usual  eager  putting  together  of  heads  over 
the  precious  pile  of  manuscript,  and  exclamations  of 
delight  or  disappointment  as  it  was  finally  dis- 
tributed. Then  we  went  ashore,  only  waiting  to 
read  the  dearest  and  most  important  letters. 

We  were  met  with  curious  glances  from  the 
many  passengers  of  the  Elder.     Tourists  consider 


-r 


216 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


everything  and  every  one  in  the  light  of  "  curios" 
when  in  an  out-of-the-way  place.  The  most  impul- 
sive were  for  boarding  the  Rush  immediately,  and 
our  shore-boat  might  have  been  swamped  had  it  not 
prudently  pushed  off  before  the  rush  for  it.  A  party 
finally  succeeded  in  getting  aboard,  however,  and 
amused  themselves,  ransacking  every  nook  and  cor- 
ner, and  asking  questions.  I  know  all  the  masculine 
gender  reading  this  will  exclaim,  "Just  like  thi 
women  !  "  but  I  have  not  said  they  were  women. 

Soon  I  met  the  familiar  faces,  on  every  side,  of 
those  I  had  ^^ncnt  my  month  with  the  year  before. 
They  seemed  lil:e  old  friends,  and  their  kind  greet- 
Migs  were  most  grateful. 

All  was  bustle  and  gaiety.  Up  and  down  the  one 
street  promenaded  the  whole  population.  The 
Indian  women,  displaying  themselves  and  their 
wares  in  all  their  bright  colors  along  the  sidewalk, 
talking  and  laughing  in  their  hoarse  guttural  lan- 
guage and  tones.  *  Mrs.  Tom,"  as  usual  the  center 
of  attraction,  adorned  with  "  rings  on  her  fingers," 
I  am  not  positive  about  the  "  bells  on  her  toes,"  but 
I  am  about  the  braclets  on  her  arms.  All  these 
sights  are  so  familiar  through  the  number  of  descrip- 
tions written,  Miss  Scidmore  s  especially,  and  the 
flocks  of  visitors  of  several  years,  that  it  will  interest 
no  one  to  read  another  description,  therefore  I 
refrain. 

Sounds  of  martial  music  fell  on  mj'^  ear,  and  I 
beheld   a  large   band   of  Indian   boys   with   brass 


■■i 


SITKA 


217 


1- 

d 

y 

d 


instruments.  I  felt  like  shouting  hurrah !  These 
were  the  Metlakatlah  Indian  boys,  sent  up  by  Mr 
Duncan  from  his  Mission  at  Metlakatlah  a  year  ago,  to 
finish  their  educations  at  Dr.  Jackson's  school,  and 
whom  I  remembered  seeing  when  in  Sitka  before. 
I  attended  services  at  the  Mission,  and  became  quite 
familiar  with  their  faces,  especially  so  once  at  an 
entertainment  they  gave  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  the  new  Metlakatlah  Mission,  and  an 
idea  entirely  their  own.  There  were  sleight-of-hand 
performances,  minstrel  songs,  recitations,  etc.,  dis- 
playing a  good  deal  of  ingenuity  and  originalit3^  A 
recitation  of  several  pages,  a  short  classic  story,  was 
very  well  given.  For  the  occasion  they  drew  a  figu- 
rative picture,  in  which  they  signified  their  persecu- 
tion under  the  British  lion,  and  their  security  under 
the  American  Eagle. 

The  band  played  very  well,  at  least  it  certainly 
sounded  pleasantly  on  our  ears,  and  added  to  the 
interest  and  excitement  of  the  occasion. 

But  our  pleasure  was  soon  cut  short  by  the  dole- 
ful news,  that  we  must  get  under  way  in  an  hour. 
At  first  we  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it ;  we 
had  anchored  for  a  week  or  ten  days'  stay  at  least. 
We  soon  learned:  a  schooner,  the  Alpha,  with  fif- 
teen people  aboard  was  reported  lost,  near  Yakutat, 
and  Governor  Knapp  had  asked  my  husband  to  go 
in  search  of  her.  We  were  all  cross  ;  of  «ourse  no 
one  dared  express  himself  as  freely  as  I  did,  yet 
on  reflection  I  was  cheered  by  the  idea  of  going  to 


218 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH  " 


a  thoroughly  new  place — Yakutat,  where  all  the 
finest  basket-work  came  from,  and  in  the  near  vicin- 
ity of  Mt.  St.  Elias.  I  prayed  for  a  continuation  of 
the  fine  weather  that  we  might  be  able  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  latter. 

In  an  hour  both  the  Elder  and  the  Rush  left 
almost  simultaneously,  and  Sitka  must  have  felt 
deserted.  There  was  a  cheer  for  the  Elder  and  a 
cheer  for  the  Rush,  and  a  waving  of  handkerchiefs 
from  everybody  to  everybody  else,  with  an  inspiring 
tune  from  the  band,  and  Sitka  soon  seemed  but  a 
vision  of  the  night.  However,  we  were  to  return  in 
a  few  days,  so  I  consoled  myself. 


^mmmmmm 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


YAKUTAT. 

$E  HAD  INDICATIONS  of  rain  and  wind 
that  evening,  and  the  next  morning  was 
dismally  cold  and  rainy  ;  such  a  contrast  to  the 
bright,  lovely  days  we  had  been  having  for  so  long. 
The  mountains  on  the  coast  were  almost  obscured 
by  the  clouds  of  mist  and  the  rain,  though  occasion- 
ally we  could  see  the  nearer  ones,  covered  with 
snow.  The  distance  to  Yakutat  from  Sitka  was  two 
hundred  and  ten  miles,  and  was  farther  north  than 
the  latitude  of  the  Seal  Islands.  At  about  5  pm. 
the  next  day  we  arrived  in  sight  of  the  Indian  vil- 
lage of  Yakutat.  We  were  soon  at  anchor  in  a 
beautiful  little  bay  as  quiet  and  smooth  as  a  lake, 
but  all  about  looked  cold  and  wintry.  The  day 
had  lightened  a  little  and  we  could  see  on  the  tops  of 
several  snowy  mountains,  a  streak  of  gold,  where, 
hidden  from  us  in  the  clouds,  the  sun  poured  forth 
his  bright  rays  upon  them.  It  was  beautiful.  All 
around  was  gloom  and  darkness.  Indistinctly 
through  ,  the  mist  we  saw  the  outlines  of  a  glacier. 
We  had  seen  several  on  the  way  up  the  coast  in  the 
deep  deprf^ssions  between  the  mountains,  many  pre- 
senting a  bold  jagged  front  to  the  waters  edge.  It 
was  strange  we  saw  no  icebergs  floating  around  in 

(219) 


220 


CRUISE  OF  THE  *'RUSH' 


the  vicinity.  We  were  now  in  a  latitude  of  eternal 
snow  and  ice,  for  the  whole  coast  is  lined  with  snow- 
covered  mountains  all  the  year  round. 

Every  one  wanted  to  go  ashore,  late  as  it  was, 
for  we  had  all  heard  of  the  Yakutat  basket-work 
and  mountain-goat  skins,  and  possibly  a  bearskin 
or  two  to  be  found  at  this  place.  As  far  as  we  could 
discover  I  was  the  first  white  woman  that  had  ever 
been  to  Yakutat. 

We  landed  on  the  beach  in  front  of  half  a  dozen 
solidly  built  log  cabins;  constructed  after  the  style  of 
most  of  the  Indian  houses  farther  to  the  *  soHhard." 
These  were  generally  about  thirty  feet  square. 
Inside  was  a  bench  resembling  a  counter,  but  lower, 
and  extending  around  the  four  sides  of  the  room,  used 
to  sit  and  lie  on — a  species  of  divan — which  served 
as  chair,  sofa  and  bed,  and  from  this  level  opened, 
though  rarely,  an  extra  room  or  two,  not  much  larger 
than  a  closet.  The  architecture  of  the  whole  house 
greatly  resembles  a  huge  dog  kennel,  even  to  the 
door,  which  is  simply  a  round  hole  large  enough  to 
comfortably  admit  the  body.  I  was  surprised  at  the 
size  of  the  houses  and  the  small  number  of  people 
that  occupied  them,  but  still  more  surprised  when  I 
heard  thai  in  these  half  dozen  houses  lived  about 
three  hundred  Indians,  then  all  away  hunting  and 
fishing.  Imagine  fifty  or  sixty  persons  of  all  ages 
and  sizes  living  in  one  room. 

We  found  some  good  basket-work,  but  at  high 
prices.    These  Indians  seemed  as  shrewd  as  those  at 


YAKUTAT 


221 


Sitka  at  bargaining.  Several  of  the  lieutenants 
found  some  pretty  baskets  at  the  small  store  just 
opened,  three  mountain-goat  skins,  and  one  of  them 
a  blanket  of  eagle's  breast-feathers,  which  made  the 
rest  of  us  green  with  envy.  It  was  the  only  one  to 
be  found. 

But  I  must  tell  of  the  schooner  Alpha  and  her  crew. 
No  sooner  had  we  anchored  than  there  appeared 
two  beautifully  shaped  light  canoes,  or  dugouts,  in 
which  there  were  tour  Indians,  two  in  each,  pad- 
dling rapidly  toward  us.  We  had  aboard  two  men 
from  Sitka  acting  as  pilots,  and  well  acquainted 
with  that  part  of  the  country.  One  of  them  hailed 
the  nearest  Indians,  whom  he  recognized  to  be  from 
the  missing  schooner,  and  in  a  few  words  we  had 
the  satisfaction  of  learning  of  the  safety  of  the  ves- 
sel as  well  as  of  all  hands  aboard.  Later  we  discovered 
it  was  not  shipwreck  but  a  complication  of  other 
causes  that  led  to  her  delay,  giving  rise  to  the  fear 
of  her  possible  loss,  she  being  known  to  be  unfit  for 
heavy  weather.  There  had  been  a  lack  of  provisions, 
which  led  to  disputes  and  conflicting  plans  between 
the  various  parties  aboard — the  captain,  a  trader, 

and  a  photographer,  Mr.  H ,  from  Taber's,  of 

San  Francisco.  The  affair  ended  thus  :  The  Alpha 
was  abandoned  and  the  Rush  took  crew  and  all, 
including  several  Indians,  to  Sitka. 

We  had  besides,  a  distinguished  couple  and  their 
family  aboard,  Yanatcho,  chief  of  the  Yakutat  clan 
and   his   wife.      His   "  Boston"   name   (Boston   is 


222 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


United  States  to  the  Indians,  because  one  of  the 
first  vessels  from  the  United  States  to  visit  those 
regions  hailed  from  Boston),  being  "  Billy  Merry- 
man,"  named  after  a  captain  in  the  navy  who 
had  once  been  there.  Yanatcho  was  a  haughty 
looking  man,  who  spoke  as  one  having  authority. 
He  begged,  or  rather  expressed,  his  desire  to  go 
to  Sitka  in  a  somewhat  peremptory  manner.  He 
first  asked  my  husband  to  take  him  down  to  Sitka. 

Captain  S said,  "All  right."    Next  he  asked  if  he 

could  take  his  wife.  My  husband  said, "  Yes."  Then 
he  wanted  to  take  a  box  of  seal  oil.  Next  he  wished 
know  if  he  could  take  his  son.  "  Yes,"  good-natur- 
edly repeated  my  husband.  It  was  then  necessary  to 
add  another  box  of  seal  oil  (which  they  use  as  a  con- 
diment for  everything).  "Yes."  "But  he  had 
three  children  he  did  not  want  to  leave  behind  !" 
My  husband's  patience,  though  he  has  a  great  deal, 
was  coming  to  an  end,  and  he  told  him  "  No  more  !" 
However,  at  the  time  appointed  for  their  embarka- 
tion, just  before  our  departure,  three  canoes,  full  of 
men,  women  and  children  with  all  their  goods  and 
chattels,  a  most  incongruous  mixture,  appeared.  It 
was  too  late  to  single  them  out.  Two  canoes  full 
were  bundled  aboard  and  off  we  started. 

The  next  two  or  three  days  must  have  been  trying 
even  to  them,  for  the  poor  creatures  had  no  shelter 
but  such  as  they  could  get  under  the  "  fo'castle," 
and  an  awning  put  up  to  keep  the  rain  off.  For, 
besides  the  rain,  we  had  a  heavy  gale  on  our  way 


mmm 


YAKUTAT 


223 


i»» 


back  to  Sitka.  The  ship  thrashed  about  most  unmer- 
cifully.    Mr.  D played  the  good  Samaritan  and 

took  the  chief,  with  his  wife  and  children,  under  his 
protection  in  the. engine-room,  where  they  were  at 
least  warm.  Yanatcho  made  his  tribe  believe  the 
"gunboat"  had  come  after  him  especially,  so  we 
learned  from  those  that  understood  the  Thlinket 
aboard  the  schooner. 

One  of  tho  Indians,  the  second  chief,  was  as  ami- 
able a  looking  person  as  one  could  wish  to  see,  for  I 
saw  him  afar  ofiF,  when  paddling  toward  the  ship, 
with  a  countenance  such  as  the  moon  is  said  to  have 
when  particularly  jovial,  and  what  a  little  street 
gamin  might  express  as  a '* gash"  extending  from 
ear  to  ear,  exhibiting  two  long  rows  of  strong 
white  teeth.  With  this  stereotyped  expression  he 
remained  as  long  as  I  saw  him,  except  when  he  drew 
the  corners  of  his  mouth  together,  and  extended  it 
at  right  angles  with  its  former  position,  in  an  enor- 
mous yawn,  looking  one  straight  in  the  face,  the 
meanwhile,  in  the  most  natural  and  unconcerned 
manner  imaginable. 

Both  Yanatcho  and  the  second  chief  had  letters  of 
recommendation  from  one  gentleman  and  another 
who  had  strayed  to  that  far  northern  port  on  bu»i- 
ness,  or  for  pleasure,  which  they  presented  to  my 
husband.  It  was  customary  among  the  Indians  to 
ask  for  these.  Unable  to  read,  but  confident  of  their 
flattering  contents,  they  presented  them  with  a  great 
deal  of  pride  to  the  person  whose  favor  they  wished 


224 


CRUISE  OP  THE   "RUSH" 


to  secure.  A  laughable  story  was  told  us  of  a  chief 
who  called  himself  "  Me-no-lie."  He  desired  some 
one  who  knew  him  to  write  a  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion. The  gentleman  did  so.  The  letter  ran  thu5 : 
*•  Me-no-lie  is  a  chief,  and  the  greatest  liar  and 
scoundrel  to  be  found  ;  do  not  trust  him  under  any 
circumstances."  With  an  air  of  conscious  merit, 
though  affecting  modesty,  he  presented  his  letter  to 
all  with  whom  he  happened  to  be  associated. 

I  will  mention  here  that  the  Indians  in  the  vilJ-igc 
spent  all  of  the  time  we  stayed  in  the  harbor  aboard 
the  Rush.  On  more  intimate  acquaintance  they  grew 
bolder  and  would  follow  us  into  our  private  apart- 
ments in  a  most  provoking  manner.  We  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  whole  fleet  of  canoes,  going  and  coming 
all  day,  after  our  first  raid  on  the  village,  the  evening 
before,  in  search  of  baskets.  These  were  laden  with 
curios  of  every  variety  known  to  the  savage  breast. 
But  the  most  unexpected  and  amusing  of  all  were 
half  II  dozen  hair  switches,  which  the  officers  hinted 
"just  about  matched  my  hair."  I  was  of  course 
indignant.  Who,  wo  wondered,  had  been  in  this 
region  after  false  hair  ? 


!■ 


ef 
a- 


•it, 
to 


X 

< 


<  ^ 


< 


^ 


tr. 


o 

*^ 

u 

'C 

< 


224 


CxlUISE  OF  IHt;  ••RUSH" 


i 


to  secure.  A  lauglmbl;  story  was  told  us  of  a  chief 
who  call'  (1  liiiiisolf  •  Me-no-lie/'  He  desired  some 
one  who  knew  him  i>:>  wr;t»^  a  letter  of  reeomineuda- 
tioii.  The  gentleman  did  :*o.  The  lel^* :  ran  thus: 
'•  Me-no-lio  is  i\  •  hii  '  avid  the  greatest  liar  and 
scoundrel  to  be  found  •  do  i..jt  trust  him  under  any 
circumstances."  With  an  v\r  of  conscious  merit, 
though  affecting  modCv^ty,  i  o  presented  his  letter  to 
3,11  with  whom  lie  I  app'  ned  to  be  associated. 

I  will  mention  h<?re  x)mi  tno  Indians  in  the  village 
spent  all  of  the  time  we  ^tay;  ■'.  in  the  harbor  aboard 
the  Rush.  On  moi'e  iatiii  ute  .'"quavntance  they  grew 
bolder  and  W'Ould  foliovs  is  ;?!*>•)  our  private  apart- 
ments in  a  most  provokiug  m«w?ior.  We  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  whob  ileefe  of  «an.>»  ;  <v;-'>ing  aiid  coming 
alt  day,  after  our  first  ratd  •  n  tli  :re,  the  evening 

before,  m  search  of  ba.-ket,.      J 
curios  of  everv  variety  kn   hh  ■ 
Bui  the  most  unexpected  .j.d  a 
half  a  dozen  hair  f^wiicitt!*,  v>  hicli 
"just  about  matt  . 'd  my   :  air 
indignant.      V/hO;,  we  won  i^Tri 
retijicin  after  falso  hair  ? 


^'♦^«rv  laden  with 
:Viige  breast. 
-nio;  of  all  were 


'n 


In:  officers  hinted 

!   was  of  course 

had   been  in  this 


mo 
da- 

nd 

in)' 

lit, 

to 


< 
< 

< 
< 


O 


h 

O 


w 

O 

<3 

^    z 

Pi  ;s 

X 


O 
< 

►4 


6 
o 
X 
u 

H 

<: 
< 

w 
tn 


w 

H 
(/) 

H 
Z 

D 

O 


•  pmiiipuin  mmitwu'miwT'^^mg^lfllff^lli' 


.  * 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


INDIANS     OF     YAKUTAT. 

ik  NUMBER  OF  INDIAN  children,  mostly  boy»^ 
^1"  were  running  around  in  the  cold  and  wet 
in  suniraer  attire — a  cotton  shirt,  occasionally  a 
whole  suit,  but  we  understood  it  was  summer  with 
them  all  the  time  as  far  as  a  change  of  costume  is 
concerned.  They  plunge  into  the  breakers  when  it 
is  blowing,  snowing  and  sleeting ;  this  is  their 
recreation.  They  slide  on  ti*o  snow  barefoot  all  day 
long  and  they  don*t  die. 

They  often  live  to  a  good  old  age,  notwithstanding 
the  terrible  exposure  they  suffer.  A  missionary  at 
Yakutat  told  me  he  knew  of  two  old  Indians  whom, 
he  said,  were  over  eighty,  for  they  remembered  the 
time  when  a  party  of  Russian  missionaries  had 
come  to  Yakutat,  and  had  all  been  murdered.  This, 
he  said,  had  occurred  as  many  as  eighty  years  ago. 
The  Yakutat  Indians  speak  Thlinket,  as  do  those 
of  Sitka,  but  the  former  were  ori'nuv'Hv  of  the  tribe 
of  Copper  River  Indians.  A  number  left  their  home 
in  the  region  of  Copper  River  and  emigrated  to 
Yakutat,  where  a  tribe  of  Thlinkets  already  lived. 
The  two  tribes  amalgamated  and  became  one  and  the 
same,  and  at  present  the  Indians  of  Yakutat  speak 
the  same  language  and  are  considered   Thlinkets. 

Cruisk  of  thk  "  Rush."   15     ( 226) 


mmmm 


226 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


Only  the  oldest  among  them  remember  and  speak 
their  former  dialect,  that  of  the  present  Copper  River 
Indians. . 

For  this  fact  I  am  indebted  to  Lieutenant  E , 

an  ofi&cer  of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  son  of  the 
late  Admiral  Emmons,  also  of  the  United  States 

Navy.     Lieutenant  E has  spent  two  or  three 

years  in  Sitka,  traveling  continuously  among  the 
Thlinkets,  or,  as  he  says,  the  correct  spelling  is 
Thlingits.  He  has  made  an  extensive  collection  of 
rare  and  valuable  curios.  These  he  obtains  by  trav- 
eling far  up  the  rivers  in  Indian  canoes,  taking  with 
him  a  faithful  Indian  interpreter,  though  he  him- 
self has  acquired  their  language  sufficiently  to  be 
able  to  make  himself  understood. 

He  has  already  made  one  collection  worth  several 
thousand  dollars,  which  has  been  placed  in  the  Smith- 
sonian Institute  at  Washington,  and  is  at  present 
at  work  on  a  second  collection,  in  which  there  are 
already  several  hundred  pieces. 

In  this  collection  are  to  be  found  some  very  ele- 
gant and  expensive  carved  wooden  dishes,  inlaid 
fancifully  with  mother  of  pearl  from  shells,  and  used 
at  feasts  ;  they  are  large  enough  to  hold  a  good-sized 
roast  pig,  and  probably  used  by  them  to  contain 
venison,  so  plentiful  in  Alaska.  There  are  also 
knives,  with  elaborately  carved  handles  of  bone  ; 
there  were  also  some  with  copper  blades.  Copper 
was  used  by  them  before  the  invasion  of  the  whites. 
They  knew  nothing  about  the  use  of  iron,  however, 


!l! 


INDIANS  OF  YAKUTAT 


227 


ak 


he 
tes 
ee 
he 
is 
of 
av- 
ith 
m- 
be 


until  after  the  arrival  of  white  men  among  them. 
The  most  grotesque  masks  are  made  of  carved  wood, 
painted  in  vivid  colors,  such  as  red,  green  and 
blue,  the  three  often  on  one  mask  ;  some  are  made 
of  copper.  Other  extraordinary  looking  objects  are 
found,  the  use  of  which  is  unknown,  but  of  interest 
because  of  the  skill  and  care  evidently  expended  on 
them.  The  Thlinkets  are  much  more  ingenious  in 
the  devising  and  making  a  variety  of  articles  than 
the  Aleutes,  probably  because  they  have  better  and 
more  materials  at  hand.  Though  the  former  are 
gradually  ceasing  to  make  them,  as  they  come  in 
contact  with  civilization. 

Lieut.  E has  made  this  tribe,  the  Thlinkets, 

their  customs  and  habits,  his  study  for  several  years. 
He  also  has  some  valuable  Russian  books,  almost 
a  century  old,  on  the  discovery  of  Alaska  and  the 
condition  of  the  Indians  at  that  time. 

"  On  Kow"  is  their  term  for  chief  In  teaching 
them  of  God  He  is  called  "  On  Kow" — it  is  the  only 
term  possible  to  be  used  in  their  language.  "  Kan- 
Kow"  is  the  appellation  of  the  evil  one. 

The  Yakutat  Indians,  like  those  at  Sitka,  all  under- 
stand what  "  How  much  ?'*  means,  and  never  by  any 
chance  make  a  mistake  and  confuse  two  and  three 
dollars.  They  dislike  to  change  money,  the  greater 
the  number  of  small  pieces  the  more  they  imagine 
they  have. 

There  were  no  "  totem  poles"  about  the  houses, 
though  I  was  told    inside  the  chiefs  house  there 


228 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


were  two  or  three  ;  but  when  he  goes  away  he  locks 
his  door  behind  him  with  a  padlock  and  takes  the 
key,  and  was  not  at  home  when  we  called.  Every 
nook  and  cranny  through  which  we  might  have 
peeped  was  filled  up  in  some  way  or  other. 

Yakulat  consists  of  an  Oakland  and  a  San  Fran- 
cisco. On  one  side  of  the  bay  lives  one  chief  and 
part  of  the  clan,  and  on  the  other  sido  the  other ; 
communication  is  entirely  by  water. 

These  Indians  cremate  their  dead.  We  saw  sev- 
eral little  houses  like  sentry-boxes,  with  a  window 
on  one  side,  in  which  were  set,  sometimes  one  and 
two,  often  three,  elaborately  ornamented  leathern 
chests,  in  which  we  were  told  the  ashes  of  the  dead 
reposed.  In  one  more  pretentious  than  the  rest 
there  was  a  small  clock  ;  it  was  not  running  and  I 
could  not  imagine  their  idea  in  putting  it  there. 

We  were  told  by  a  person  who  understood  Thlin- 
ket,  that  when  the  Rush  first  appeared  at  Yakutat 
there  was  great  alarm  among  the  Indians  for  fear  of 
punishment,  the  making  of  liquor  being  prohibited. 
Their  consciences  troubled  them.  Some  little  time 
before  a  party  of  Copper  River  Indians  had  come  on 
a  visit :  they  had  made  a  great  deal  of  "  hoochinoo" 
(the  native  liquor)  and  had  had  a  grand  time. 
Each  chief  was  anxious  to  lay  the  blame  on  the 
other. 

We  rowed  among  the  small  wooded  islands  that 
there,  as  at  Sitka,  make  the  harbor  so  pretty.  At 
a  sudden  turn  we  came  upon  some  white  men  and 


INDIANS  OF  YAKUTAT 


229 


Indians  hauling  the  seine  in  one  of  the  channels,  so 
surrounded  by  islands  as  to  almost  form  a  lake.  The 
salmon,  great  huge  fellows,  were  jumping  out  of  the 
water  in  every  direction,  evidently  much  disturbed 
by  the  assault  made  upon  them.  We  watched  till 
tired  of  the  sport  and  then  continued  our  row.  We 
landed  on  one  of  the  islands,  where  we  found  evi- 
dences of  the  "  good  time,"  in  the  shape  of  several 
empty  bottles,  hidden  in  a  hole  in  the  trunk  of  an 
old  tree.  We  also  found  a  deserted  log  hut,  a  canoe, 
and  a  small  square  inclosure,  tightly  boarded  over, 
but  into  which  we  managed  to  peep.  In  it  we  saw 
a  bundle  of  what  we  thought  were  skins,  and  a  large 
chest  or  leathern  trunk.  It  was  a  lovely  little  island, 
round  as  a  dollar,  carpeted  with  rich  green  moss 
and  ferns,  in  which  the  scarlet  of  the  bunch-berries 
gleamed  brightly.  Old  trunks  of  trees  were  scat- 
tered here  and  there,  covered  with  the  fern-like 
moss  ;  all  was  fresh,  green  and  moist,  a  fairy  island, 
had  it  not  been  so  cold. 

All  the  islands  and  woods  on  the  coast  of  Alaska 
present  the  same  appearance.  Beyond  the  moun- 
tains (the  range  which  seems  to  be  immediately  on 
the  coast)  it  is  flat  prairie-land,  covered  with  grass 
and  a  few  bushes,  but  no  trees. 

At  Yakutat  are  found  the  most  delicious  wild 
strawberries,  of  a  very  fair  size,  larger  than  the 
ordinary  wild  strawberry  of  the  Eastern  States.  A 
wild  cranberry  is  also  found,  smaller  than  our  com- 
mon cranberry,  but  of  a  far  superior  flavor.     The 


^ 


280 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH  " 


i 


cranberry  pie  made  with  them  is  in  my  estimation 
better  than  any  other  fruit  pie. 

I  saw  growing  in  the  sn^all  gardens  belonging  to 
the  missionaries,  of  whom  I  will  speak  later,  beets, 
turnips,  and  potatoes,  which,  with  carrots,  all  do  very 
well.  The  soil  at  Yakutat  is  very  sandy,  but  is 
enriched  by  the  quantities  of  decayed  seaweed.  If 
there  is  dry  weather  for  two  or  three  days  it  has  to 
be  irrigated,  or  the  vegetables  would  be  spoiled. 

A  branch  store  from  Sitka  had  been  opened 
recently  at  Yakutat  and  was  doing  well.  It  was  a  god- 
send to  the  missionaries,  who  could  now  rely  on  the 
store  for  supplies,  instead  of  having  to  send  away  for 
everything  themselves.  We  inquired  of  the  store- 
keeper if  he  could  trust  the  Indians  ?  he  said  "Yes.'* 
and  added,  "  in  almost  every  case  where  he  had 
allowed  them  to  liwe  clothing  with  an  agreement  to 
pay  when  they  had  the  money  they  had  faithfully 
fullfilled  their  promise.  I  remember  the  second 
chief  appearing  on  board  with  a  bran  new  ulster,  on 
which  he  had  allowed  to  remain  in  a  very  promi- 
nent position  the  tag  on  which  the  price  was 
marked.  The  days  of  the  blanket  have  departec\ 
The  women  cling  to  that  custom  still  to  some 
extent,  but  more  often  use  shawls  instead. 

The  customs  of  the  Yakutat  Indians  are  those  of 
the  Thlinkets  of  Sitka,  about  whom  so  much  has 
been  written  that  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  mention 
them  here. 

The  missionaries  I  have  already  referred  to  were 


INDIANS  OF  YAKUTAT 


23] 


n 


;o 


[f 
o 


two  Swedes,  who  had  been  in  Yakutat  about  a  year; 
kindly  looking,  noble  men.  From  them  I  received 
most  of  ray  information  regarding  the  Indians  and 
their  manner  of  living  at  Yakutat.  Previous  to 
their  arrival  there  had  never  been  any  missionaries 
among  this  tribe,  except  the  Greek  or  Russian 
murdered  by  them  so  many  years  before. 
!  These  Swedes  had  much  trouble  in  establishing 
their  mission  ;  there  was  a  scarcity  of  lumber  and 
their  house  was  too  small.  At  the  time  I  was  there 
they  were  able  to  accommodate  only  five  Indian  boys. 
The  only  way  to  do  the  Indians  any  good  was,  as  has 
been  proved,  to  keep  them  entirely  under  their 
supervision.  There  is  no  direct  communication 
with  Yakutat,  only  trading  schooners  coming  up 
once  in  a  while.  The  Pinta,  the  naval  vessel  sta- 
tioned at  Sitka,  runs  up  occasionally,  that  is  all. 

I  could  not  but  admire  those  humble  good  men, 
so  far  from  their  native  land,  staking  their  very 
lives  for  the  salvation  of  these  poor  degraded  beings. 

I  asked  one  of  them,  "  Mr.  H ,  do  you  feel  safe 

among  these  Indians  ?"  "  Hardly  safe,"  he  replied, 
"though  I  do  not  fear  them.  One  day  not  long 
ago,"  he  continued,  *'  one  of  them  came  to  me  and 
wanted  to  use  my  grindstone  ;  it  was  Sunday,  so  I 
refused  him,  whereupon  he  said  he  would  kill 
me.  He  had  an  axe  in  one  hand  and  a  knife 
in  the  other.  I  told  him  he  could  kill  me,  I 
was  helpless  ;  and  he  walked  away.  They  are 
like  dogs ;  had  I  shown  fear  he  would  have  killed 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH 


}f 


me."  When  I  visited  his  Mission  at  Metlakatlah, 
Mr.  Duncan  told  me  of  a  similar  experience  of  his. 
These  Indians  admire  courage  and  will  seldom  kill 
but  the  craven  or  coward,  right  out  in  the  broad 
light  of  day.  Their  usual  method  is  to  steal  upon 
the  victim  unawares  and  shoot  from  behind  an 
ambush. 

Two  years  ago  thei\  were  two  white  men  wan- 
tonly murdered  a  few  miles  from  Yakutat.  They, 
with  two  Indians,  had  gone  out  on  a  hunting  expe- 
dition. Their  wood  gave  out  and  the  two  white  men 
went  a  short  distance  from  their  camp,  together  in 
a  boat,  to  procure  some,  leaving  their  guns  behind 
them.  On  returning  they  were  met  by  the  two 
Indians,  who  fired  upon  them  with  their  own  guns, 
killing  one  of  them  instantly,  the  other,  still  par- 
tially alive,  was  finished  with  the  stab  of  a  knife. 
One  of  the  Indians  was  caught,  taken  to  Portland, 
tried  and  hanged ;  but  the  principal  one,  it  is 
rumored,  is  still  at  large.  The  second  chief  of  the 
Yakutat  tribe  (I  did  not  learn  his  name),  of  the 
smiling  countenance,  went  to  Portland  and  testified 
against  the  murderer  who  was  hanged.  It  was  an 
event  which  forever  afterward  raised  him  to  pre-em- 
inence in  the  eyes  of  the  rest  of  the  tribe. 

But  alas !  we  did  not  see  Mt.  St.  Elias.  It  was  a 
severe  disappointment  when  so  near,  and  as  we 
thought  that  just  behind  those  clouds  he  stood 
grand  and  still  in  the  awful  silence  of  nature.  The 
missionaries  told  us  from  their  own  little  home,  on 


INDIANS  OF  YAKUTAT 


233 


11 

id 


a  clear  day,  the  view  was  superb.  It  rained  steadily 
almost  all  of  the  time  we  remained  there,  which  was 
two  nights  and  a  day. 

A  stifiF  wind  blew  "  dead  ahead  "  all  the  way  back 
to  Sitka.  We  ♦'  hove  to"  for  several  hours,  till  the 
worst  was  over,  and  then  bad  to  "tack  ship"  for 
some  distance.  We  were  twenty-four  hours  longer 
making  the  trip  back  to  Sitka  than  we  were  going 
from  there  to  Yakutat. 

On  arriving  at  Sitka  we  were  met  with  cheers  and 
other  expressions  of  satisiaction,  especially  after  it 
was  paade  known  that  the  missing  party  were  all 
safe  and  aboard  the  Rush. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


SITKA     AGAIN. 


'SK'e  remained  in  SITKA  about  ten  days, 
^1^  during  which  time  nothing  of  importance 
occurred.  The  investigation  and  law  proceedings  in 
regard  to  the  captured  sealers  were  carried  on  very 
quietly,  and  there  was  little  to  be  done,  besides  the 
ordinary  routine  of  ship  life,  but  amuse  oneself, 
or  at  least  it  was  all  I  had  to  do.  Walks  to  the 
Indian  River,  a  visit  to  the  Ranche,  and  the  services 
at  the  Greek  church,  besides  the  exchanging  of  calls 
took  up  the  most  of  my  time.  Also  a  visit  to  the 
Mission.    ' 

With  two  friends  I  visited  the  Ranche  one  day. 
This  Ranche,  as  it  is  called,  is  where  the  Indians 
live  outside  the  stockade.  Though  the  latter  is  now 
but  a  memory,  all  of  it  but  a  few  yards  having  been 
removed,  or  fallen  to  decay.  We  were  in  search  of 
a  set  of  paddles.  It  was  Saturday,  and  a  bright, 
warm  day.  Saturday  was  employed  in  much  the 
same  waj'  as  in  the  more  civilized  part  of  our  country, 
namely,  as  cleaning  day.  The  whole  Ranche  had  a 
certain  air  and  smell  of  cleanliness  and  soapsuds. 
We  met  Indian  women  with  streaming  locks,  and  a 
fresh,  clean  look  about  the  face,  betokening  a  recent 
but  perhaps  only  the  weekly  wash,  in  readiness  for 

(234) 


SITKA  AGAIN 


235 


Sunday.  Many  a  papQOso  was  receiving  u  thorough 
scrubbing  in  the  clear  light  of  day  under  the  warm 
rays  of  the  September  sun — sixty  degrees  Fahren- 
heit. 

I  found  a  handsomely  painted  pair  of  small  pud- 
dles, just  a  good  length  to  lay  in  my  trunk,  and  a 
number  of  other  smaller  things.  These  curios  lose 
their  value  in  one's  mind  when  one  reflects  they 
are  made  by  the  Indians  simply  for  sale,  after  the 
most  approved  patterns. 

We  paid  an  interesting  visit  to  "Jeweler  Jim,"  an 
Indian,  who  is  very  clever  at  converting  gold  and 
silver  money  into  ornaments  of  various  kinds.  His 
latest  effort  was  a  set  of  after-dinner  coffee  spoons, 
each  one  made  out  of  a  half  dollar,  and  a  very  pretty 
shape.  He  will  make  you  for  three  dollars,  in  two 
days'  time,  a  gold  ring,  with  an  Indian  design,  out 
of  a  ten  dollar  gold  piece.  He  had  a  handsome 
silver  napkin  ring  well  under  way  when  we  inter- 
rupted him. 

Between  "  steamer  days''  at  Sitka  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  buy  curios  from  the  Indians.  They 
get  such  extravagant  prices  from  the  tourists  it  pays 
them  to  keep  them  till  then.  Mrs.  Tom  displayed 
a  Chilkat  blanket,  made  up  for  a  dance  robe,  at  the 
modest  sum  of  only  sixty  dollars.  It  was  not  the 
real  mountain-sheep's  wool  and  native-dyed  blanket 
either,  but  a  wretchedly  cheap  imitation. 

I  found  the  Mission  to  be  in  a  very  flourishing 
condition.     The  school  was  full  to  overflowing,  and 


1.  rM 


236 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


measures  were  being  taken  to  build  a  new  cbiipel 
for  the  especial  uoe  of  the  Indians.  Quite  a  village 
of  neat  little  houses  was  springing  up  all  around 
the  Mission,  tenanted  by  married  couples  of  Indian 
boys  and  girls  from  there.  The  houses  were  built 
by  the  boys  themselves.  They  were  all  alike,  more 
or  less,  and  painted  white,  similar  in  appearance  to 
the  smaller  cottages  one  sees  at "  Cottage  Citv"  on  the 
island  of  Martha's  Vineyard  There  was  also  among 
the  new  buildings  a  hospital  for  the  boys,  built  sinco 
last  year,  and  similar  to  the  one  erected  foi  the  girls. 
The  dormitories  accommodate  about  a  dozen  or  so 
borls.  There  are  always  a  number  of  little  patients 
afflicted  with  loathsome  maladies — poor  unfortu- 
nates. A  generation  will  have  to  pass  away  before 
the  general  health  of  the^e  degraded  creatures  can 
be  materially  benefited.     Much  is  being  done. 

A  prettier  site  could  sc<'\rce  be  found  for  a  village 
at  the  foot  of  Vestovia,  the  Arrow  Head  Mountain 
back  of  Sitka,  with  the  view  out  over  the  island- 
dotted  harbor,  and  the  pretty  crescent-shape  sweep  of 
the  beach,  around  which  Sitka  lies  in  picturesque 
carelessness,  the  green-spired  Greek  'i^hurch  in  the 
midst. 

The  missionary  work  at  Sitka  is  certainly  meeting 
with  great  success.  The  Indians  take  a  pride  in  the 
fact,  they  are  Christian  Indians,  and  look  down  on 
such  as  have  not  their  advantages. 

The  Indian  boys  and  girls  are  fond  of  singing  or 
mugic  of  any  kind.  It  was  certain  ly  very  inspiring  to 


H:aift*ir"ntmMiii 


SITKA  AGAIN 


23: 


el 
:e 


listen  at  their  Sunday  morning  service,  to  the  spirit 
and  harmony  with  which  the  Moody  and  Sankey 
or  gospel  hymns  were  rendered.  They  would  put 
many  a  white  Sunday  school  to  shame.  An  Indian 
boy  played  the  organ,  and  the  services  were  begun 
by  an  elaborate  voluntary,  sung  by  about  half  a 
dozen  of  the  boys  and  girls.  It  made  the  tears  come 
into  my  eyes  as  I  listened,  thinking  of  those  poor 
degraded  beings,  hardly,  by  some,  allowed  to  have 
souls,  singing  thus,  in  that  hearty  fashion,  our  most 
sacred  songs. 

The  sermon,  though  in  reality  short,  is  made  to  a 
visitor  somewhat  long  and  tedious,  by  having  to  be 
interpreted  sentence  by  sentence  by  the  Indian 
interpreter.  This  is  more  for  the  benefit  of  the 
congregation  of  Indians  who  come  to  the  serv- 
ices, the  relatives  mostly  of  the  children  at  the  Mis- 
sion, than  the  scholars.  These  relatives,  generally 
women,  appear  in  their  gala  array  every  Sunday; 
silk  handkerchiefs  on  their  heads,  bright  shawls  on 
their  shoulders,  over  perhaps,  as  one  woman  I 
noticed  had  on,  a  pea-green  silk  dress.  These  Ind. 
ians  are  far  from  being  poverty  stricken.  The 
tourists  are  a  boon  to  them.  The  Indian  mother 
takes  her  papoose  to  church  with  her,  and  the  ser- 
vices are  varied  frequently  ^^y  loud  wailings  here 
and  there,  but  that  is  nothing  to  the  initiated. 

In  teaching  a  Sunday  school  class  once  or  twice 
I  found  these  Indian  children  read  quite  as  well  as 


288 


CEUIaE  of  the   "RUSH" 


an  average  boy  or  girl  of  eight  or  ten,  after  a  year's 
study. 

During  a  call  on  Dr.  J and    his  wife  and 

daughter,  he  showed  us  a  very  handsome  circular 
piece  of  Alaskan  cedar,  about  thirty  inches  in 
diameter,  of  exceedingly  fine  smooth  grain,  on 
which  was  elaborately  carved  a  design  which  to  us 
was  meaningless  till  explaine'l  by  Dr.  J to  rep- 
resent a  beaver  cutting  down  a  tree.  I  must  ad  iiii 
it  required  some  imagination  to  understand  it  after 
we  found  out  what  it  was.  But  the  carving  was 
beautifully  done,  and  by  one  of  the  Mission  boys. 

Dr.  J contemplated   having  a  table  made  of  it. 

The  wood  itself  was  a  good  advertisement  of  the 
quality  of  cedar  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Sitlca. 

Miss  J ,  Dr.  J 's  daughter,  kindly  showed 

us  an  exquisitely  painted  collection  in  water  colors 
of  the  wild-flowers  in  the  vicinity  of  Sitka.  Many 
were  similar  to  the  flowers  growing  on  the  Aleutian 
Islands. 

Gambling  is  a  vice  of  the  Sitka  Indians.  They 
will  keep  it  up  for  days,  hardly  ceasing  day  or  night. 
While  at  it  they  present  the  wildest  appearance. 
Often  their  faces  are  streaked  with  red  paint,  which 
looks  like  blood.  By  some  a  white  cloth,  frequently 
a  red  one,  is  tied  about  the  head.  Many  are  stripped 
to  the  waist,  and  when  in  the  midst  of  a  game  their 
fierce,  wild  looks  displayed  in  their  intense  interest 
in  it  are  horrible  to  behold.  It  is  a  game  of  guess. 
Small  sticks,  which  are  unlike,  are  changed  from 


Hii 


SITKA  AGAIN 


239 


hand  to  hand  by  a  member  of  one  side,  while  some 
one  on  the  opposite  side  guesses  a  certain  one.  If 
right,  the  guesser  and  his  side  win,  the  other  loses. 
They  sit  in  a  double  row  of  three  or  four  on  a  side, 
facing  each  other,  in  a  squatting  posture,  a  rough 
board  or  two  between  them.  There  is  a  continuous 
noise  kept  up  by  the  beating  of  sticks  on  this  board, 
at  the  same  time  keeping  the  whole  body  in  constant 
motion.  Together  with  this  a  monotonous  but  not 
unmusical  cry  is  uttered.  The  guessing  side  is 
always  quiet,  while  their  opposites  keep  up  their 
wild  antics,  as  if  to  confuse  them.  It  is  a  fascinat- 
ing thing  to  watch  them,  and  marvelous  what  an 
amount  of  endurance  they  display,  and  indifference 
to  all  fatigue  when  at  this  game.  They  gamble  away 
the  very  clothes  off  their  backs,  if  they  are  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  have  them. 

The  Indians  are  very  mercenary.  They  will  go 
to  the  Mission  and  ask  for  medicine  for  a  sick  wife 
or  child,  and  then  want  to  know  how  much  they  v/ill 
be  paid  to  take  it  to  them. 

Yet,  I  heard  a  gentleman  (Lieut.  E ),  who  had 

lived  in  Sitka  for  several  years,  and  who  had  been 
much  among  the  Indians,  say,  that  taking  them  as  a 
whole,  they  were  as  good  or  better  than  so  many 
white  people  of  the  rougher  sort  living  in  one  com- 
munity. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 


ui 


r.  Ji 


HOMEWARD    BOUND. 

llUT  MY  FAITH  in  the  good  weather  of  Sitka 
"J^  vas  sadly  shaken  by  the  constant  rain,  almost 
the  entire  time  of  our  stay  there.  For  three  days 
and  nights,  I  solemnly  affirm,  it  did  not  stop  a 
moment,  not  drizzling,  but  pouring.  We  had  one  or 
two  fine  sunsets,  not  entirely  clear,  however.  One 
evening  from  out  the  gloomy  clouds,  and  back  of 
Edgecumb,  the  sun  shot  out  a  few  vivid  rays  like 
flames  of  fire  for  a  few  moments,  and  again  "  the 
world  was  left  to  darkness  and  to  rain."  A  lady,  the 
wife  of  a  naval  officer  stationed  at  Sitka,  after  having 
lived  there  a  year,  said,  "She  felt  like  a  jelly-fish." 
The  evening  before  we  left  Sitka  we  were  delighted 
to  receive  an  invitation  to  a  concert  to  be  given  for 
the  benefit  of  our  two  pilots  to  Yakutat,  in  search  of 
the  Alpha.  After  the  concert  there  was  dancing.  It 
varied  the  monotony  of  the  rainy  days  and  nights. 
In  walking  up  the  street  we  almost  needed  our  small 
boat  to  reach  the  building  in  which  it  was  given, 
but  we  arrived  undissolved  and  in  a  fairly  good  con- 
dition, considering  all  things. 

The  chief  feature  of  the  evening's  entertainment 

was  a  topical  song  sung  by  Lieut.  T ,  the  senti- 

ment  of  which  was  composed  by  Sitka's  pride  in  that 

f240) 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 


241 


line,  Mr.  H ,  who  is  ready  on  all  occasions  with  a 

poem  or  a  rhyme  exactly  to  the  point.  This  song 
was  sung  to  the  music  of  Nat  Goodwin's  comic 
song,  "  That's  All."  The  first  verses  ran  after  this 
fashion  ;  while  being  sung  meaning  glances  were 
directed  at  my  husband  : 

The  "  Shepard  "  cawie  into  our  bay  with  a  Huah, 

That's  all,  that's  all. 
He  had  swept  Behring  Sea  with  a  revenue  brush. 

That's  all,  that's  all. 
And  our  Johnny  Bull  cousins  who  live  in  B.  0. 
Are  shaking  their  fists  at  the  flag  of  the  free, 

That's  all,  that's  all. 

The  Black  Diamond  was  captured,  but  she  ran  away^ 

That's  all,  that's  all. 
Mistaking  Victoria  for  Sitka's  fair  bay, 

That's  all,  that's  all. 
And  vain  was  the  talk  of  the  gallant  prize  crew» 
He  was  one  against  many,  so  what  could  he  do  ? 
He  did  what  he  had  to— so  would  I,  so  would  you. 

That's  all,  that's  all. 
etc.,  etc. 

The  next  day  we  sallied  out  bravely  in  spite 
of  lowering  barometer  and  threatt  >uig  looking 
weather.  We  could  not  realize  what  the  weather 
was  at  sea,  while  anchored  in  "  Sitka's  fair  bay,"  but 
after  passing  Mount  Edgecumbe,  seaward,  we  were 
audaciously  opposed  by  fierce  winds  in  our  very  faces, 
and  mountain-like  seas,  which  the  little  Rush  attacked 
bravely  and  climbed  over  with  the  greatest  dexterity, 
though  not  entirely  to  our  enjoyment.  Such  bois- 
terous conduct  was  not  to  be  endured,  and  the  order 

Cruise  of  the  "  Rush."   16 


>l    i 


242 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


being  given  to  "  hard-a-port  "  we  slyly  stole  back  to 
our  comfortable  anchorage,  to  await  a  more  favora- 
ble time.  The  next  day,  my  husband  being  deter- 
mined to  proceed,  and  thinking  to  run  through  what 
he  thought  to  be  perhaps  only  a  local  storm,  braved 
the  southeaster  again,  after  taking  the  precaution  to 
take  ten  tons  more  coal  aboard. 

We  had  silently  and  in  secret  prayed  and  hoped 
by  some  combination  of  circumstances  we  might  go 
down  the  inside  passage,  but  my  husband  did  not 
desire  to  lengthen  our  homeward-bound  trip  any 
more  than  necessary,  and  the  pilots  did  not  present 
themselves,  so  we  put  out  to  sea  after  a  feeble  remon- 
strance on  my  part,  and  a  suggestion  we  could  get  a 
pilot  from  the  Oorunna,  one  of  the  passenger  steam- 
ers then  in  port.  But  I  was  kept  thorouglily  in  sub- 
jection by  the  quiet  reminder  that  I  was  not  on  a 
yachting  party.  However,  I  think  that  by  the  fourth 
day  after  we  left,  if  it  had  not  been   for  his  pride, 

Capt.   S would  have  acknowledged  the  inside 

passage  preferable. 

We  had  a  strong  headwind  most  of  the  time,  and 
a  tremendous  sea  running.  A  moment's  quiet  was 
not  to  be  found.  Braced  ns  best  I  could  be  in  ray 
steamer  chair,  with  my  feet  up  against  the  wheel 
in  the  pilot  room,  for  the  pilot  house  was  my  sanc- 
tum sanctorum,  being  unused  at  sea,  for  the  steer- 
ing was  done  at  the  wheel  aft,  I  clung  desperately 
for  those  five  days.  There  I  even  ate  my  meals. 
Eating  was  an   acrobatic  feat  to  be  performed  only 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 


243 


after  practice.  On  one  occasion  the  waiter  in  my 
lap  slid  ofif,  the  blanc  mange  (made  out  of  con- 
densed milk  diluted,  by  the  way)  sailed  across  the 
floor.  I  scrambled  after  it,  the  steamer  ^ chair  top- 
pled over  me,  and  on  top  of  all  rolled  an  empty 
bucket.  The  reason  why  the  latter  was  at  hand  I'll 
not  mention.  The  "  debris"  was  picked  up  as  soon 
as  the  opportunity  offered  itself.     That  was  nothing. 

When  on  the  fifth  day  we  arrived  at  Port  Town- 
send  at  8  p.  M.  I  declined  to  go  ashore.  I  felt  as  if 
I  had  been  stretched  on  a  rack.  My  sleep  that  night 
was  disturbed,  it  was  so  still. 

The  day  before,  we  landed,  or  rather  dropped,  our 
crew  of  rescued  Indians  we  had  brought  from  Oon- 
alaska.  This  was  effected  in  mid-ocean,  opposite  to 
their  native  village  of  Nootka  on  Vancouver  Island, 
and  about  ten  miles  distant.  Their  two  canoes 
were  lowered  with  difficulty,  for  the  sea  was  rough, 
and  they  were  in  danger  of  being  overturned. 
But  in  a  marvelously  short  time  and  with  the  great- 
est dexterity  they  paddled  off  from  the  ship,  and  two 
of  the  Indians  who  had  acquired  civilization  enough, 
waved  their  caps  in  farewell. 

They  put  up  their  small  sails  and  bounded  away 
over  the  water,  skimming  over  the  waves  like  sea- 
gulls, often  hidden  entirely  in  the  trough  of  the  sea. 
They,  no  doubt,  like  Yanatcho,  chief  of  the  Yakutat 
tribe,  to  whom  with  his  extensive  family  we  gave 
passage  on  the  Rush  to  Sitka,  impressed  the  fact 
on   the    rest    of    their   tribe,   that    the    Rush    was 


244 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


employed  especially  for  the  purpose  of  taking  them 
from  Oonalaska  to  their  home  on  Vancouver  Island. 
That  night  to  end  off  with  a  fitting  flourish  in 
keeping  with  the  greater  part  of  our  trip  from  Sitka, 
we  had  a  rousing  gale  of  wind,  which  nearly  beached 
us  on  Vancouver  Island,  and  on  the  discovery  of 
which  we  had  to  "  put  about"  promptly  and  make 
out  to  sea.  The  rain  fell  in  sheets,  the  sea  swept 
over  the  decks,  and  altogether  we  had  a  lively  time 
of  it.  The  next  morning  scarcely  dawned  at  all,  it 
was  so  dark  and  foggy,  and  we  had  lost  our  bearings. 
There  were  anxious  peerings  through  the  fog,  and 
conjectures  by  all,  as  to  our  whereabouts,  but  though 
we  were  told  by  one  of  the  oflPicers  that  he  had  once 
spent  five  days  in  that  vicinity  trying  to  find  the 
way  in  ;  after  a  few  hours  the  clouds  rolled  by  and 
we  made  a  lighthouse,  and  were  soon  shooting 
through  calm,  still  water — the  straits  of  San  Juan 
de  Fuca — bound  for  Port  Townsend. 


CHAPTER  XXXrV. 


PUGET   SOUND. 

^S  I  SAID  BEFORE,  we  arrived  at  Port 
^1^  Town  send  at  about  eight  p.  m.  This  was 
October  2d.  It  was  perfectly  dark,  but  the  many 
lights  showed  us  our  anchorage.  We  almost  fancied 
we  had  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  the  lights  seemed 
so  many  and  so  bright  to  us,  as  they  led  from 
the  water's  edge  up  over  the  high  bluff.  There 
were  frequent  passings  to  and  fro  of  tugs  and  small 
steamers.  The  Corunna  was  moored  at  one  of  the 
wharfs.  She  had  arrived  from  her  trip  down  the 
inside  passage  the  day  before. 

Newspapers  were  soon  brought  oflF,  in  one  of  which 
we  discovered  that  we  had  unwittingly  incurred 
a  great  danger,  for  the  Rush  was  menaced  with 
dark  and  secret  threats  of  vengeance,  by  the  baffled 
crews  of  the  captured  sealers,  who  were  to  commit 
all  sorts  of  outrages  on  my  unoffending  husband 
and  his  command,  for  strictly  performing  his  duty 
in  Behring  Sea.  How  little  we  knew  what  we 
escaped,  when  kind  Providence  intervened  and 
decrnnd  we  should  leave  the  rescued  Indians  at  their 
desire,  near  their  homo  »t  Nootka  Sound,  instead  of 
Victoria,  as  at  first  we  intended.  On  our  way  to 
Port   Townsend    and   about    opposite   Victoria   an 

(  24^1 ) 


240 


CRUISE  OF  THE   "RUSH" 


English  torpedo-boat  passed  swiftly  by  us  (out  for 
prnctico  wo  supposed),  and  did  not  sink  us.  We 
passed  the  English  revenue  cutter  Douglass,  but 
neither  did  she  show  any  signs  of  hostility. 

Therefore  wo  enjoyed  the  sport  of  reading  these 
threats  in  undisturbed  security. 

Among  the  papers  the  following  extract  from  one 
of  them  caught  our  eye  :  It  was  entitled  "  Purely  a 
Matter  of  Gall."  "  A  friend  rushed  into  our  office 
in  a  breathless  state  of  excitement  this  afternoon  to 
inquire  if  there  was  any  truth  in  the  report,  that 
the  Rush  had  seized  the  Siviftsure  in  Behring  Sea. 
"  Tut"  said  the  editor,  "they  wouldn't  have  the  gall 
to  do  that."  Wouldn't  have  the  gall  ?  Look  here, 
said  he,  those  Yankees  have  gall  enough  for  any- 
thing." 

But  we  were  particularly  amused  on  reading  the 
premature  obituary  in  the  daily  Examiner  of  San 

Francisco  on  Mr.  H ,  employed  by  Mr.  Taber  as 

photographer,  who  was  "  lost  in  wild  waters,"  and 
who  at  the  time  we  read  the  article  we  knew  to  be 
safe  and  sound  in  Seattle,  and  that  he  had  not  even 
been  in  danger  of  losing  his  life.  The  recital  of  his 
loss,  however,  made  an  attractive  and  exciting  col- 
umn in  that  newsy  paper,  though  his  friends  were 
no  doubt  glad  to  know  later  that  he  that  was  lost  is 
found. 

After  a  day's  x\s\t,  and  being  entertained  pleas- 
antly the  same  evening  by  the  Key  City  Club,  at  a 
reception  given  at  the  opening  of  their  new  building, 


rUGET  SOUND 


247 


we  left  next  morning  early,  at  four  a.m.,  for  Olym- 
pia,  the  capital  of  Washington  State  (Territory  no 
longer). 

The  day  was  beautiful,  and  a  more  delightful  sail 
in  contrast  to  our  recent  rough  experience  could 
not  have  been  desired,  on  that  beautiful  body  of 
water,  Puget  Sound.  Mt.  Tacoma  (or  Reyneer),  Mt. 
Baker,  and  one  or  two  other  eternal  snow-covered 
peaks  shone  now  and  then  clear  and  white  in  the 
distance,  as  the  various  windings  in  the  channels 
disclosed  them  to  sight,  now  opening,  now  closing. 
At  times  the  Sound  is  like  a  wide  river.  The  various 
greens  and  occasional  dashes  of  bright  yellow  and 
scarlet  of  the  autumnal  tinted  foliage  on  the  banks, 
reflected  in  the  still  glassy  depths,  made  an  exquisite 
picture.  I  decided  that  with  all  its  beauty  I  pre- 
ferred the  more  civilized  scenery  of  Puget  Sound  to 
the  harbor  of  Oonalaska. 

We  arrived  at  Olympia  about  4  p.  m.  the  same  day, 
the  distance  being  about  ninety  miles  from  Port 
Townsend.  Our  pilot  was  Mr.  T ,  our  first  lieu- 
tenant, once  stationed  at  Port  Townsend  on  the  Reve- 
nue Cutter  Walcott  (whose  headquarters  are  at  that 
place),  and  who  was  familiar  with  the  Sound.  Our 
object  was  to  "  beach"  theRush,  and  clean  the  copper 
on  her  bottom,  taking  advantage  of  the  tide,  which 
here  rises  to  fourteen  feet  at  highest  tide,  an  economi- 
cal piece  of  work,  for  there  were  no  drydock  bills  to 
pay;  no  one  had  to  be  consulted;  and  no  time  wasted 
in  lengthy  preparations  and  preliminaries,  as  is  apt 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


^ 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


■tt  Iili2   ■2.2 


6" 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREKT 

WCBSTIII,N.Y.  MStO 

(716)t72-4S03 


- 


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> 


/*^o 


V 


- 


248 


CRUISE  OP  THE  "RUSH" 


to  be  the  case  at  a  navy  yard.  Nature  simply  was  util- 
ized. Lieutenant  T had  superintended  the  same 

thing  before,  and  preparations  proceeded  quietly  and 
methodically. 

I  felt  a  little  uneasy  myself,  but  did  not  say  any- 
thing, when  I  understood  we  were  to  be  hauled  up 
as  close  as  possible  in  shore  at  high  tide,  and  when 
the  tide  fell  were  to  be  left  high  and  dry,  with  the 
deck  in  a  verticle  position.  All  this  was  to  occur  in 
the  silent  midnight  watches.  I  went  to  bed  with  a 
determination  to  be  alive  to  any  unforeseen  occur- 
rence, and  if  she  listed  over  all  at  once  to  be  ready, 
for  I  did  not  wish  to  bo  unceremoniously  thumped 
on  the  floor  out  of  my  bunk,  in  the  midst  of  some 
pleasant  wanderings  in  dreamland.  However  my 
worst  fears  were  not  realized,  for  we  listed  the  other 
way,  and  so  gradually  that  I  awoke  to  find  myself 
not  quite  on  my  head,  but  tending  that  way,  on  the 
ship's  side. 

I  managed  to  right  myself,  and  took  various  naps 
till  time  to  "turn  out"  in  the  morning.  On  arising 
and  endeavoring  to  dress,  I  found  myself  in  the 
most  comical  situation  I  ever  was  placed  in.  It  was 
"up-hill"  work  dressing.  In  attempting  to  cross 
the  cabin  floor  upward  you  slid  back  two  steps  to 
one  you  went  forward.  We  looked  as  if  we  were 
making  ^  le  most  violent  and  unwonted  efiforts  to 
get  at  something  just  out  of  reach.  I  realized  how 
"  Sysiphus"  must  have  felt  when  he  tried  to  roll  the 
stone  up   hill.     Tables,  chairs,  clothes   and   other 


PUGET  SOUND 


249 


movable  articles  were  all  accumulated  in  a  Leap  on 
the  lower  side,  as  the  debris  at  the  bottom  of  a  land- 
slide. 

Breakfast  was  served  under  difficulties.  In  the 
ward-room,  where  the  table  is  a  fixture  fastened  to 
the  floor,  the  ordeal  was  moat  trying.  On  the  lower 
side  the  chairs  had  a  tendency  to  keep  at  an  immod- 
erate distance  from  what  you  wanted  to  get  at;  on 
the  opposite  side,  they  were  too  persistent  the  other 
way.  Little  casualities  such  as  the  absently  loosen- 
ing one's  hold  on  one's  coflFee-cup,  were  apt  to  end 
disastrously  to  the  great  discomfort  not  of  you  but 
of  your  vis-a-vis.  Our  novel  position  afiforded  a 
great  deal  of  amusement  and  merriment  to  all. 

We  could  walk  down  the  gangway  over  the  ship's 
side  and  land  on  dry  ground,  which  seemed  a  novel 
thing  in  its  way,  and  much  better  in  my  estimation 
than  landing  in  the  water,  or  in  an  unstable  small 
boat.  After  the  trial  of  four  months  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  I  preferred  dry  land  any  time. 

Running  up  from  the  beach  were  woods,  where, 
in  riotous  profusion  grew  evergreens — ^the  beautiful 
arbor  vitae  among  them — maples  and  other  trees  with 
berry  bushes,  ferns  and  moss-covered  logs  in  one  wild, 
delightful  tangle.  Maiden-hair  fern  was  abundant, 
and  with  knife  and  basket  I  soon  had  unearthed 
quantities,  root  and  all,  with  rich  green  moss,  for 
hanging-baskets. 

Over  the  top  of  the  hill  and  back  a  little  way  was  a 
large  fruit  orchard,  where  Mr.  0 ,  one  of  our 


250 


CRUISE  OF  THE  "RUSH" 


engineers,  found  an  abundance  of  various  kinds  of 
delicious  ripe  plums,  for  almost  nothing.  The  coun- 
try all  about  is  very  finely  adapted  to  fruit-growing 
purposes.  How  we  reveled  in  all  these  fresh  things 
after  our  long  banishment. 

We  had  to  be  rowed  to  Olympia,  two  miles  or  so 
distant,  and  found  it  a  larger  and  a  far  prettier 
place  than  Port  Townsend.  A  very  large,  hand- 
some hotel  was  going  up,  on  a  beautiful  site,  where 
from  two  sides  of  it  one  could  have  a  lovely  view 
of  Puget  Sound  and  surrounding  country.  The 
various  buildings  of  most  prominence  were  so  sit- 
uated as  to  deceive  us,  on  looking  at  Olympia  from 
the  water  front,  into  thinking  it  a  larger  and  more 
populous  city  than  it  really  was.  It  may  never 
become  of  great  commercial  importance,  but  it  is 
certainly  a  lovely  place  for  a  quiet  home.  Olym- 
pir/s  fate  seems  to  hang  on  the  decision  as  to  where 
the  future  state  capital  be  established. 

The  scenery  about  Olympia  is  very  fine.  A  beauti- 
ful stream  flows  back  of  the  town,  emptying  into  the 
Sound.  On  the  way  it  roars  and  tumbles  over  its 
rocky  bed,  forming  beautiful  waterfalls  in  several 
places.  One  is  especially  beautiful,  where  the  precip- 
itous banks  seem  to  hem  in  its  impetuous  body  of 
water,  as  it  plunges  with  terrible  force  over  great, 
black  rocks,  on  which,  in  places  unexposed  to  the  fury 
of  the  waters,  grow  lovely  green  moss  and  ferns. 
Directly  in  froLt  of  the  falls  a  little  foot-bridge  has 
been  placed  in  such  a  way  as  to  afford  one  a  very 


•Pff^cmpiJpnM.,  ,,.ijp«i 


PUGET  SOUND 


251 


near  view.  While  on  the  bridge  and  directly  in 
front  of  this  great  flow  of  water  you  feel  a  cold 
rush  of  air  dashed  with  spray,  while  your  ears 
are  filled  with  the  surging  roar  and  plunge  of  fall- 
ing waters,  filling  you  with  a  wild  exultation. 

After  spending  two  days  there,  resting  quietly 
during  the  Sabbath  that  intervened,  we  left  Olynipia 
and  stopped  at  Tacoma  for  a  few  hours,  on  our  way 
to  Seattle,  at  which  latter  place  we  expected  to 
take  on  coal  and  fresh  water  for  our  final  sea  voyage 
to  San  Francisco. 

Tacoma  presented  the  appearance  of  a  rapidly 
growing  city.  The  Tacoma,  the  principal  hotel,  was 
everything  that  could  be  desired  in  its  architectural 
beauty  and  complete  appointments  in  every  way. 

The  city  spread  already  over  a  great  deal  of 
ground.  Streets  were  laid  out  broad  and  straight 
two  and  three  miles  back  from  the  water's  edge,  while 
those  parallel  with  the  water-front  were  still  longer. 
Many  handsome  residences  were  yet  surrounded  by 
primeval  forests,  or  what  not  long  ago  were,  in  the 
form  of  charred  remains  of  fallen  trees  and  stumps, 
but  just  cleared  by  the  busy  woodcrtters. 

Tacoma  is  set  upon  a  hill,  and  by  no  means  easy 
of  access,  though  a  road  of  a  gradual  incline  was  just 
being  completed,  upon  which  we  saw  a  street-car 
track  had  been  laid,  leading  from  the  water's  edge 
to  the  top  of  the  bluff.  It  is  in  the  same  way  Port 
Townsend  is  reached,  though  the  latter  place  has  a 
greater  water-front  of  solid  ground. 


252 


CRUISE  OP  THE    'RUSH" 


Tacoma  aflPords,  however,  a  magnificent  and  far- 
reaching  view  of  Puget  Sound,  especially  from  the 
many  elegant  homes  fairly  overhanging  the  steep 
clifif,  at  the  top  of  which  the  city  lies. 

The  greatest  drawback  to  its  speedy  growth  seems 
to  be  the  exceeding  shallowness  of  the  water,  for 
some  distance,  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  To  be  sure 
it  was  low  tide,  but  even  in  our  small  boat,  the  cutter, 
we  had  difficulty  in  pulling  up  to  the  boathouse 
and  landing  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  right  above 
which  was  situated  the  Tacoma  Hotel.  Half  of 
the  time  it  was  dragged  by  main  force  over  the 
slimy,  muddy  bottom,  by  the  sturdy  arms  of  our 
strong  crew,  almost  breaking  the  oars  in  their  exer- 
tions. 

Wharves  extended  in  every  direction  besides  num- 
bers of  parallel  lines  of  spiles,  which,  we  were  told, 
were  where  visionary  people  had  staked  out  claims, 
sanguine  that  in  the  near  future  this  would  all  be 
filled  in,  and  the  land  valuable,  being  on  the  water- 
front. 

A  steam-dummy  pulls  a  car  out  the  greatest  length 
of  the  city  and  back  every  twenty  minutes,  for  ten 
cents. 

A  few  hours  from  Tacoma,  after  a  beautiful 
sail  between  the  picturesque  shores  of  the  Sound, 
found  us  at  Seattle.  At  every  few  miles  we  saw 
on  the  banks,  near  the  water's  edge,  tents,  sawmills 
and  lone  farm-houses.  Now  and  then  canoes  full 
of  Indians,  in  bright  array,  paddling  quietly  along, 


PUGET  SOUND 


259 


with  a  background  of  the  green,  red  and  gold,  with 
deep  blue  and  brown  shadows,  in  the  transparent 
water  a  double  world  of  color  and  beauty. 

Among  the  characteristic  features  of  all  the  towns 
we  visited  on  the  Sound,  Tacoma,  Olympia,  Seattle, 
and  Port  Townsend,  were  the  numbers  of  Indians 
promenading  the  streets,  perfectly  at  home,  and 
meeting  you  at  every  turn,  or  else  squatting  in  rows 
along  the  inside  of  the  sidewalks,  or  huddled 
together  on  a  doorstep;  stalwart,  long-haired,  smooth- 
faced Indian  men ;  bare-headed  and  bare-footed 
women,  with  bright  blankets  and  basket-work  to  sell, 
in  the  midst  of  the  hubbub  of  a  city. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


SEATTLE   AND   HOME    AGAIN. 

SEATTLE !  WHAT  VISIONS  of  rain,  mud, 
^  slush  and  general  discomfort  the  name  sug- 
gests .  beside  blocks  and  blocks  of  tents  and  rough 
wooden  structures,  stories  and  half-stories  of  brick 
buildings  just  going  up,  twisted  iron  rods,  blackened 
timbers,  half-burnt  treacherous  wooden  sidewalks, 
over  which  one  constantly  stumbled.  Crowds  of  busy 
men  hurrying  hither  and  thither,  whose  umbrellas 
kept  hooking  onto  or  into  everybody  and  everything, 
under  the  low  overhanging  awnings,  hastily  put  up. 

Trafficking  was  going  on  as  busily  as  ever  in  the 
canvas-tent  stores  ;  where  piled  up  to  the  top  were 
stacks  upon  stacks  of  dry-goods,  seemingly  none  the 
worse  for  the  constant  rain,  rain,  rain,  on  the  almost 
transparent  roofs. 

The  sound  of  the  hammer  mingled  loudly  with 
the  other  busy  sounds,  such  as  the  driving  to  and 
fro  of  heavy  cafts,  the  constant  whirr  of  the  cable, 
and  buzz,  buzz,  buzz  of  human  voices,  in  this  human 
hive  of  human  bees,  improving  every  hour,  whether 
shiny  or  not. 

We  found  at  Seattle  various  lines  of  cable-carSi 
and  an  electric  road,  the  only  one  I  had  seen,  which 
proved  a  success.    These  all  ran  several  miles  in 

(CM) 


SEAITLE  AND  HOME  AGAIN 


.265 


'» 


different  directions,  one  connecting  the  city  with 
that  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  Lake  Washington,  on 
the  shores  of  which  there  was  some  discussion  as  to 
its  being  a  suitable  place  to  establish  the  navy 
yard,  if  only  connected  with  the  Sound  by  a  canal, 
its  waters  being  deep  enough  to  float  the  largest 
ships.  However,  the ,  scheme  was  abandoned,  and 
Port  Orchard  recommended  in  its  place. 

Queen  Anne  Town  was  reached  by  the  electric 
railway.  The  name  probably  arose  from  the  style 
of  the  pretty  houses  at  the  end  of  the  line,  built 
after  the  Queen  Anne  style. 

Seattle,  with  its  deep  water  and  long  line  of 
wharves  and  greater  accessibility,  seemed  more  cer- 
tain of  growth  and  prosperity  than  any  of  the  other 
places  we  visited  on  the  Sound.  Soon  all  signs  of 
the  mighty  fire  will  be  obliterated,  and  larger,  finer 
buildings  take  the  place  of  the  old. 

Coaling  ship  took  but  a  short  time,  the  coal  being 
shot  down  from  above  through  chutes  on  to  the 
deck  by  the  carload,  and  busily  shoveled  into  the 
the  bunkers.  After  the  water  had  also  been  taken 
aboard  we  left  for  Port  Townsend,  arriving  there 
that  evening  at  dark. 

We  found  the  United  States  steamer  Pinta  there, 
en  route  from  San  Francisco  to  Sitka,  at  the  latter 
of  which  places  she  is  stationed.  She  had  been  at 
Mare  Island  Navy  Yard  all  summer  undergoing 
repairs.  She  was  at  Port  Townsend  awaiting  the 
Patterson,  whose  pilot  for  the  inside  passage  they 


«"'•    ""W 


mm 


256 


CRUISE  OF  THE   *'RUSH 


expected  to  take.  The  Patterson  had  been  Going 
coast  survey  work  on  different  parts  of  the  inside 
passage,  and  was  then  also  bound  for  San  Francisco. 
During  the  day  after  we  arrived  she  steamed  into 
port.  The  following  morning,  October  10th,  we  took 
our  several  ways,  the  Pinta  towards  the  north,  the 
Patterson  and  the  Rush  to  the  "  soHhard,"  and  San 
Francisco. 

The  barometer  was  high,  and  we  had  all  the  indi- 
tions  of  fine  weather,  besides  the  satisfactory  reflec- 
tion that  in  October  we  were  apt  to  have  the  finest 
weather  of  the  year  for  a  trip  down  the  coast.  We 
were  not  disappointed  There  was  quite  a  heavy 
swell  at  first,  all  that  remained  to  remind  us  of  our 
recent  stormy  experience  when  last  at  sea,  a  few 
days  previous,  but  the  sky  was  blue  and  fair,  with  a 
light  breeze. 

The  breeze  incrensed  little  by  little,  but  added 
nothing  to  our  speed  till  the  day  before  we  arrived 
in  San  Francisco.  That  day,  with  all  sails  set  and 
a  fair  wind,  we  fairly  flew  (for  the  Rush)  through 
the  water,  increasing  our  speed  hourly,  till  by  night 
we  made  twelve  knots  an  hour.  This  was  better 
time  than  we  had  before  made  during  the  summer, 
except  when  chasing  ihe  sealers.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  good  ship  knew  she  was  nearing  her  accustomed 
anchorage.  Point  Reyes  flashed  out  clear  and 
bright  at  about  seven  o'clock,  at  which  sight  we 
involuntarily  smiled  at  the  thought  that  crossed  our 
minds  of  home  and  dear  ones  now  so 


near,  after 


ISEATTLE  AND  HOME  AGAIN 


257 


our  long  and  adventurous  trip.  Four  hours  after  we 
dropped  anchor  in  front  of  the  city,  on  the  beautiful 
moonlit  night  of  October  13,  '89,  at  least  twelve  hours 
sooner  than  we  had  anticipated  the  day  before. 

It  was  estimated  the  Rush  had  steamed  during  the 
summer  the  long  distance  of  over  eleven  thousand 
miles. 

San  Francisco  seemed  to  be  illuminated  especially 
for  us,  it  looked  so  aglow  with  lights  spreading  far 
and  wide  over  the  hills.  The  harbor  was  dotted 
everywhere  with  ships,  just  visible  in  the  dim  light, 
by  the  twinkling  of  the  lamps  at  their  mast-heads. 

It  was  not  yet  too  late  to  catch  the  last  ferry-boat 
for  Oakland,  and  the  officers  whose  families  lived 
there  rushed  hurriedly  and  excitedly  away,  anxious 
to  reach  home  as  soon  as  possible. 

I  breathed  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  on  looking  around 
to  think  my  journey  safely  over  at  last,  feeling 
the  richer  for  all  the  new,  strange  and  beautiful 
sights  I  had  seen  and  novel  experiences  I  had  had. 

It  was,  however,  with  feelings  of  regret  that  the 
next  morning  I  packed  my  trunk  and  bid  adieu  to 
my  shipmates  of  four  and  a  half  months,  and  the 
free,  untrammeled  life  I  had  led  during  that  time, 
returning  again  to  the  conventionalities  of  the  life 
of  a  city. 

Thus  ended  the  cruise  of  the  Rvbsh  in  the  sum- 
mer of  '89. 


FINIS. 


